Skills boost for mid-career professionals

A new TeSA immersion programme gives mid-career jobseekers the necessary training to adapt to the dynamic startup culture of tech companies.

By Jacqueline Danam

For those aged 40 and above, career uncertainty is a real cause for concern and even fear, particularly when it comes to staying employable.

As technology continues to disrupt the way we do things in the workplace, jobseekers — including mid-career professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) in the ICT sector — need to upskill in order for them to not get left behind.

With the ICT sector contributing to about 8% of Singapore’s GDP, enterprises across the economy are expecting to hire about 42,000 ICT professionals by 2019. These roles require a talent pool with adequate training and skill sets.

Thus, it is important for mid-career PMETs to immerse and adapt to fast-paced and dynamic work environments as they compete with their younger, tech-savvy counterparts in this age of digitalisation.

To help PMETs overcome the challenges they’re facing, seven companies are collaborating with the government in an innovative pilot immersion programme as part of the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA).

Through this programme, the seven firms — EverComm, PropertyGuru, Sea, Shopee, Taiger, Trakomatic and Zalora — will train and immerse mid-career jobseekers aged 40 years and above to upskill and reskill via short-term projects.

This additional support under TeSA was first announced by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, during the Tech Hirers Connect Forum back in October 2017.

During the event, 80 tech hirers gathered to hear from fellow talent recruiters about the trends and challenges in hiring ICT professionals — and how they addressed and overcame these challenges in a fast-moving environment.

The attendees picked the brains of the presenters such as keynote speaker Daniel Goldstein, CEO of Elements Talent Solutions and an expert in building hiring structures for tech unicorns like Spotify.

New skills in critical technologies

Over the course of three to six months, jobseekers in the pilot programme will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in startup environments, which may be new to ICT jobseekers who have traditional IT backgrounds.

Besides working on projects ranging from business development, product management and software development, jobseekers can also learn new skills on areas such as data and analytics and cybersecurity — which are considered critical areas as the country moves towards the Digital Economy.

At the end of their stint, suitable individuals may be hired as full-time employees with the tech companies.

“Mid-career PMETs are a valuable talent source, and companies should actively harness the experience and knowledge of this group to address their manpower and recruitment needs. Employers and younger workers can benefit from their wealth of experience, business acumen and networks,” said Mr Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of WSG.

The seven firms participating in the pilot immersion programme represent a broad spectrum of industries, including clean technology, fashion, artificial intelligence as well as e-commerce.

“Singapore’s drive to become a vibrant digital economy will create new and exciting opportunities for everyone. This includes companies of all sizes, and tech professionals – regardless of their age. IMDA is pleased to partner WSG and industry partners to help companies and professionals seize growth opportunities through continuous upgrading of their technology skills,” said Mr Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive of IMDA.

A joint effort by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), TeSA will allow progressive tech companies to tap on the extensive work experience of mid-career professionals.

Interested mid-career professionals can register their interests with the career centres at Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), where career coaches will provide advice and match suitable roles based on the individual’s skill sets.

TeSA was launched in 2016 to drive the professional development of infocomm technology (ICT) professionals through skills acquisition and training. For more information, please visit www.imtalent.sg.