IMDA scales efforts to level up Singapore’s tech talent

1. IMDA scales efforts in pre-employment training and mid-career upskilling programmes to expand and level up Singapore’s pool of tech talent, with a focus on AI.

2. IMDA’s key efforts include:

a. Investing $20 million over three years to increase the number of AI-related SG Digital Scholarships and overseas internships

• Other ongoing efforts: i) scale up TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) and ii) provide over 180 AI-related courses under Information and Communications (I&C) Jobs Transformation Map (JTM)



b. Strengthening industry readiness and increasing job opportunities for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and Polytechnic students via TeSA for ITE and Polytechnics Alliance (TIP Alliance)

On the demand side,

• Leading employers in the TIP Alliance have committed 800 good job opportunities for ITE and Polytechnic graduates.
• Over 200 companies pledged their support for the skills-based hiring movement, which is double the figure since the launch in November 2023.



On the supply side,

• To ensure students in tech gain more industry-relevant experience, the Information and Digital Technology (IDT) schools in our ITE and Polytechnics have lengthened internship durations from 6 to 12 months. More than 400 IDT students have undergone enhanced year-long internships in 2023. These allow students to have more time to acquire industry-relevant skills and on-the-job (OJT) experience, as compared to traditional internships which is 5 to 6 months.

IMDA is investing $20 million over three years to increase the number of AI-related SG Digital Scholarships and overseas internships

3. To level up and grow the pool of AI practitioners to 15,000, IMDA will invest in a range of pre-employment training and mid-career upskilling programmes. They will play a key role in developing and scaling the use of AI in organisations and across the economy.

a. IMDA is investing $20 million over three years to increase the number of AI-related SG Digital Scholarships and overseas internships. These scholarships allow students to work in the industry after graduation, while the overseas internships will provide them with opportunities to apply their AI knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems. Applications for the SG Digital Scholarship will be open till 14 April 2024 for undergraduates and 31 March 2024 for postgraduates. To apply, visit https://go.gov.sg/SGDScholarships.

b. Other ongoing efforts
• Scale up TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA). Since 2016, IMDA has placed and trained more than 17,000 locals in in-demand tech areas such as AI and Analytics, Software & Applications, 5G, Cloud and Cybersecurity, and upskilled 231,000 individuals in tech. We will expand and extend the Company-Led Training (CLT) programme with companies that are scaling up their AI practitioner teams and building Centres of Excellence across sectors. We will also work with intermediaries like tech giants and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to provide locals with industry-relevant training and hands-on experience through real world projects and use cases.
• Provide over 180 AI-related courses under Information and Communications (I&C) Jobs Transformation Map (JTM). To support the broader workforce, over the next three years, IMDA is targeting to reskill about 18,000 talent in tech roles in AI and Analytics with an emphasis on Generative AI (GenAI) and two other in-demand areas – Software Engineering, Cloud and Mobility - which are complementary to AI. These are tech areas that the I&C JTM has identified as having a transformative impact on the I&C workforce. IMDA is working with five Training Partners to scale reskilling and upskilling efforts in AI and Analytics. Currently, they offer over 180 AI-related courses tapping on cutting-edge tools to equip workers with skills for real-world applications. More than 1,000 workers have been trained so they can be confident AI Users.

4. IMDA is also working with partner agencies such as SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), as well as industry associations such as SGTech and Singapore Computer Society, to help companies equip their employees with the skills to work with AI.

Strengthening industry readiness and increasing job opportunities for ITE and Polytechnic students

a. 800 good tech job opportunities committed by employers for ITE/Polytechnic graduates. To strengthen ITE and Polytechnic graduates’ employment outcomes in tech, IMDA set up the TeSA for ITE and Polytechnics Alliance (TIP Alliance) in 2022, which aims to provide 1,000 tech job opportunities over three years. Thus far, leading employers in the Alliance have committed 800 good tech job opportunities for ITE and Polytechnic graduates.

b. Over 200 companies pledged their support for the skills-based hiring movement. In November 2023, IMDA, IHRP (Institute for Human Resource Professionals), and the TIP Alliance launched the Skills-Based Hiring Movement together with Employer Pledge and Handbook for Tech Roles, which provide practical guidance for firms to attract, assess and develop tech talent based on competencies. To date, over 200 companies have pledged their support for the skills-based hiring movement, which is double the figure since the launch.

c. More than 400 Information and Digital technology (IDT) poly/ITE students have undergone enhanced year-long internships. To allow students in ITE and Polytechnics to gain industry experience and competencies while completing their diplomas, the IDT schools have lengthened internship durations from 6 to 12 months. In 2023, more than 400 Polytechnic and ITE students from IDT schools have undergone year-long internships to gain greater industry experience. IMDA supports companies who provide these year-long internships in Singapore by providing co-funding for monthly stipends to cover the cost of training.

5. Interested companies can write in to IMDA at TIP_Alliance_Admin@imda.gov.sg. For more information, visit https://go.gov.sg/tip-alliance.