Driven by passion and perseverance, Xinmin Secondary School’s Infocomm Media Club (IMC) students defied the odds to make headlines at last year’s inaugural National Youth Tech Championship (NYTC) 2023. Despite being first year IMC students, Gareth Chiong, Moses Chua and their teammates leapt from ninth place in the semi-finals to clinch second place at this prestigious competition. This year, Gareth and Moses team up with new IMC members Dinh Hoang Nam, Harrison Tan and Lim Zhen Wei to challenge themselves at NYTC 2024.
NYTC, a flagship competition powered by IMDA in partnership with Google Cloud, returns for yet another year following its debut success in 2023. This year, the web-series competition features six weeks of intensive training and tasks focused on honing students’ tech skills by leveraging AI technology. These activities lead up to the main competition, where participants get to compete with other like-minded individuals on a national stage and conquer a ninja warrior obstacle course in an e-sports style competition.
Cultivating digital talent in our youth
Nurturing emerging talent in the tech industry is crucial for Singapore’s digital trajectory. IMDA leads the charge by spearheading several programmes, including the industry-supported IMC Programme. IMDA supports a nation-wide network of infocomm and media-related clubs across MOE primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, and Millennia Institute. IMCs offer engaging ways for students to deepen their skills in various technology and media domains to gain industry experience. Closely aligned with MOE’s CCA LEAPS 2.0 initiative, students can also earn CCA points as they embark on the curated activities in their IMCs.
We caught up with the Xinmin Secondary School team to find out how the IMC CCA and opportunities like NYTC have honed their tech expertise and critical thinking skills for the digital age.
Since the launch of Xinmin Secondary School’s new Infocomm Wing as part of its IMC in 2023, the programme has energised students who are passionate about coding, programming, and all things digital. Gareth, Moses, Zhen Wei, Hoang Nam and Harrison are some of the many students that have benefitted from this exposure.
Under Xinmin Secondary School’s structured IMC framework, they have developed their talents in coding, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), as well as audio-visual aid (AVA), photography and videography. This real-world experience has been pivotal for the Xinmin team, especially for their NYTC journey. Putting things into perspective, Gareth explained, “It gives us access to different parts of technology. We get to learn new things like how AI and machine learning work and how it can be implemented.”
IMCs in schools provide an enriching and rewarding CCA experience where students can discover and improve their digital skills by participating in a myriad of activities. These experiences, which include industry exposure, cross-school collaborations, and prestigious competitions, enhance the club members’ technical skills and instil teamwork, resilience and a drive to innovate.
Bringing tech learning to life through NYTC
Regardless of their level of technical competency, NYTC helps students enhance their digital literacy, fosters curiosity, confidence, and creativity in technology. This is part of IMDA’s wider efforts to spark our youths’ interest in tech, and to inspire and promote young tech talent in Singapore.
When Gareth and Moses signed up for NYTC through their school’s IMC in 2023, they did not know they would be competing against 230 students from 51 schools. In the competition, students applied their newly minted tech skills to build AI models, which they used to programme the drones during the competition.
I thought drones could only be flown with remote controls or phones. The NYTC challenge changed my perspective, revealing the complex coding and multiple layers of security involved before a drone can take off.
Gareth Chiong
Xinmin Secondary School
Gareth and Moses highlighted some of the competition’s most memorable moments, including visits to Google’s office and mentorship from Google engineers, as well as immersive learning in AI, machine learning (ML), and coding. These opportunities were a huge draw for teammate Hoang Nam, who reiterated, “I joined this competition because it gives me the chance to tackle coding challenges, learn more about AI, ML and drone coding." Harrison, echoing his teammate’s sentiments, added, “I'm excited about the competition because we will be surrounded by people who share the same interests.”
The competition also imparts valuable lessons in stress management and problem-solving, like countering numerous drone lags. Moses recalled, “We had to learn how to troubleshoot on the spot. It was tough but we got it right.” The team’s camaraderie along with their ability to troubleshoot and overcome challenges throughout the competition were the cornerstones of their success.
Gearing up for NYTC 2024
This year, Xinmin’s 2024 team has a robust game plan. Each member will focus on mastering drone operations, handling specific tasks before and during the competition and participating in mini challenges to score bonus points. Most importantly, they plan to stay positive and do their best. Summing it up, team leader Gareth affirmed, “We will give it our best, no matter the outcome.”
Taking part in IMDA’s NYTC has significantly shaped their paths, equipping them with practical skills that enhance their lives in today’s digital landscape. As Zhen Wei aptly noted, "Coding can improve people’s lives by providing solutions and helping them de-stress.” Through NYTC, participants can continue to gain practical insights into real-world tech and media applications, learning how to turn abstract concepts into tangible achievements. The team members have already begun to grasp this in their preparations with their IMC, making keen observations on how everything from household appliances to banks and factories incorporates the use of AI.
Looking ahead to NYTC 2024, the team is eager to embrace new learning pathways, push their boundaries and gain an enriching experience in tech.
Empowering tech-savvy students for the digital era
IMCs go beyond traditional CCAs, providing students passionate about technology and media with exclusive opportunities to learn emerging tech skills backed by industry. Curated by IMDA, these exciting, sought-after CCAs encourage students to be curious, confident and creative about tech. By joining your school’s Infocomm Media Club, you gain a head start on your digital journey. It also gives you exclusive access to compete in prestigious national tech competitions, like Xinmin Secondary School’s inspiring team.
Catch this year’s action on Titan Media’s YouTube channel and follow the team’s journey at NYTC 2024. Stay tuned for updates and other exciting IMC programmes that IMDA has lined up for you.
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