NUS launches ICT Academy dedicated to upskilling Information & Communications professionals
From left to right: Mr Chiang Fock Pong, Head, NUS ICT Academy; Mr Patrice Choong, Senior Director, Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Mr Senthil Kumar, Deputy Director and Head, ICT Product Division, NTUC LearningHub; Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications & Information; Dr Sunny Leong, Head, Work-Study Programme, SUSS; and Dr Kwan Kian Hoong, Director, Temasek SkillsFuture Academy, Temasek Polytechnic
7 Sept 2023 — As technology continues to disrupt individuals, corporates, and industries, some 18,000 Information & Communications professionals will find themselves in need of upskilling and reskilling over the next three to five years. This is according to a 2022 impact study by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). To help the industry navigate this dynamic landscape, the agency also released a Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) aimed at guiding individuals and corporates grow and develop the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) talent pool.
In support of this initiative, the National University of Singapore (NUS) launched its ICT Academy dedicated to training ICT professionals. The IMDA announced this appointment on 1 September at the Tech3 Forum 2023 organised by the Singapore Computer Society. Guest of Honour, Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information said, “… the accelerated development of AI tools is expected to displace more white-collar and knowledge-workers. Our response in Singapore is to actively uplift both enterprise and workforce capabilities.” She added that the five training partners, including the NUS ICT Academy, will “support companies to co-develop reskilling programmes for their employees in three areas where demand is strong and growing – AI and analytics, software engineering, cloud and mobility.”
The NUS ICT Academy is committed to supporting local talent to stay ahead amidst disruptions and will train some 3,000 individuals over the next three years. Professor Susanna Leong, Vice-Provost (Masters’ Programmes & Lifelong Education) and Dean, NUS SCALE, said, “Through the NUS ICT Academy we will build an ecosystem that equips our workforce with concrete in-demand skills to meet the constantly shifting needs of the industry. The Academy aims to bridge knowledge and skills gaps at the regulatory, sectoral, and enterprise levels. Its slate of meticulously curated programmes offers ICT professionals multiple, flexible, and stackable pathways to broad skilling and deep skilling, so they stay ahead in this highly competitive landscape. NUS looks forward to making significant contributions to the ongoing advancement of Singapore's Digital Economy.”
The Academy draws on academic excellence across the University to form the Participating Schools Committee (PSC). School and faculties in the PSC are:
- NUS College of Design & Engineering
- NUS Faculty of Science
- NUS-ISS
- NUS School of Computing
- NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE)
It will also leverage strong industry partnership and engage with Industry Work Groups (IWG) to co-create new programmes to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Comprising key enterprise stakeholders, such IWGs will provide invaluable insights to foster an agile workforce poised to take on uncertainty. Beyond that, the Academy aims to work very closely with corporates. “The Academy will deploy Skills Managers to help the organisations map their ICT training needs and offer training solutions from NUS. It will work in tandem with the partner schools and faculties to mount new courses that are demanded by the organisation. We hope to help organisations ready their workforce and, where possible, help pivot its workforce to in-demand areas,” explained Mr Suresh H Punjabi, Chair of Working Committee, NUS ICT Academy.
Mr Chiang Fock Pong, Director, NUS ICT Academy said, “We offer a comprehensive suite of ICT courses, ranging from short courses, stackable graduate certificates to academic qualifications, that are relevant and of high quality, catering for current market needs. In addition, we partner various government agencies, such as IMDA, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) to provide holistic manpower development support, including course fee funding and salary stipend.”
AI and Generative AI programmes on offer include the following: