A total of 36 university, polytechnic and "A" level students (Please see Annex A for profiles.) received the much sought after ..
Singapore, 16 September | For Immediate Release
More Companies to Offer Job Opportunities to Scholars
A total of 36 university, polytechnic and "A" level students (Please see Annex A (17.73KB) for profiles.) received the much sought after National Infocomm Scholarships (NIS) today. This is almost double the number of 20 awarded in 2005. This year, the NIS also received overwhelming response with 567 applications, which is 4 times more than the previous year's number of 135. Given out by the Infocomm Development of Authority of Singapore (IDA), with support from the industry, the NIS aims to ensure that the infocomm industry continues to attract the best and brightest talent to drive future growth and to groom a pool of future leaders to contribute to Singapore's continued competitiveness in infocomm.
The NIS is run in partnership with leading infocomm companies in Singapore with support from the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) and the Singapore Computer Society (SCS). This allows the scholars to be nurtured by leading infocomm companies during their course of study and attachment. Scholars will be given the opportunity to do a six-month attachment and mentorship with their sponsoring infocomm company at their overseas offices or research facilities in the final year of undergraduate study. These industry-sponsored attachments will give the students wider exposure, international working experience and industry guidance even before they graduate.
Participating organisations for NIS include Computer Associates, Fujitsu Asia Pte Ltd, Frontline Solutions Pte Ltd, IBM Singapore Pte Ltd, Intel Technology Asia Pte Ltd, Microsoft Singapore Pte Ltd, NCS Pte Ltd, Oracle Corporation Pte Ltd and Singapore Computer Systems Pte Ltd. Joining these nine this year are seven new organisations, namely Accenture Pte Ltd, Avaya Singapore Pte Ltd, Aztech Systems Ltd, IDA Singapore, Novell Singapore, Singapore Telecoms, and an infocomm-user organisation, DBS Bank (Please see Annex B (26.27KB) for profiles of the organisations.). One of the leading home-grown regional banks, DBS Bank's participation underscores the importance of infocomm talent for strategic business needs as well. Mr Rajan Raju, Managing Director and Head of Technology and Operations, DBS Bank said : "As a bank born and bred in Asia, one of DBS' key aims is to contribute to the regional community by promoting IT excellence and rising talent in Asia. Our participation in the National Infocomm Scholarship, which attracts some of the best and brightest in the region, will help build a talent pool to meet the current and emerging needs of both DBS and the infocomm industry. We are pleased to be a part of this scholarship programme."
Presenting the scholarships at the National Software Competition cum NIS Awards ceremony today, Mr Chan Yeng Kit, IDA CEO said, "Singapore needs to develop globally competitive infocomm professionals who are both technologists and business strategists to grow our infocomm industry as well as to transform key economic sectors. This is one of the key building blocks for Singapore in the digital age."
All the applications were reviewed and selected by IDA and the participating organisations based on their excellent results, passion for infocomm and their communication skills. The NIS scholars will be pursuing their studies both in local and overseas universities. This year's crop also includes four foreign scholars, two from China and two from Indonesia. Huang Liang from Victoria Junior College who will be pursuing studies in SMU says, "I aspire to be a Chief Information Officer in an MNC. I have always been passionate about Information Technology and understand its importance as the driving force for a company and a society. At the same time, I like to interact with people and enjoy making positive changes to their lives." Lim Jia Wei from Temasek Polytechnic who will pursue studies at the University of Warwick (UK) shares this sentiment, "Making a difference is what it is all about. I have seen much in life, and learnt that not everyone is as fortunate as me. I have learnt to care for and help those who are in need and return what I have benefited to society".
Among the 36 NIS scholars, nine will be pursuing the SMU-Carnegie Mellon Fast track Master's course. This is part of the effort to work with both the local and overseas universities to enhance the quality of the infocomm curriculum and graduates. This fast track Master's course will allow the students to graduate within four to four and a half years with both a Bachelor of Science (Information Systems Management) degree from SMU and a master's degree in IT from Carnegie Mellon University. (Please see Annex C (25.63KB) for more details on the course.)
The 36 NIS Scholars are:
ISSUED BY CORPORATE & MARKETING COMMUNICATION DIVISION
INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
Notes to Editor:
The NIS is an initiative of IDA Singapore and supported by the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) and Singapore Computer Society (SCS). It is a unique scholarship because it is the only government-industry scholarship that allows the scholars to be nurtured by leading companies during their course of student attachment. The scholarship is open to top students from junior colleges, polytechnics and universities. Non-Singaporeans awarded the National Infocomm Scholarship are required to take up Singapore permanent residence or citizenship.
Infocomm Manpower Development Roadmap
For more information on IDA-s manpower initiatives and programmes, please visit www.ida.gov.sg/Individuals-and-Community/Manpower-Development.aspx.
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more news and information, visit https://www.imda.gov.sg/.
For media clarification, please contact:
Ms Gayle WONG
Manager, Corporate & Marketing Communication
IDA Singapore
Tel: 6211 0209
Fax : 6211 2227
Email: gayle_wong@imda.gov.sg
Ms HO Hwei Ling
Assistant Director, Corporate & Marketing Communication
IDA Singapore
Tel: 6211 1996
Fax : 6211 2227
Email: ho_hwei_ling@imda.gov.sg
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