SINGAPORE - Students enrolling in the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) can now sign up for two new courses in artificial intelligence and digital supply chain.
The Bachelor of Science in Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI) and in Digital Supply Chain (DSC) being launched in the new academic year are three-year direct honours programmes, the university said on Tuesday (Jan 11).
Students will learn to implement AI within software systems in the former, while the DSC course will focus on emerging technologies in the logistics and supply chain sector, which is undergoing digital transformation.
Each programme will have 40 students to begin with.
"The project-intensive curricula we have designed places industry at the core of our students' learning," said Professor John Thong, deputy president (academic) and provost of SIT, Singapore's fifth autonomous university and the first to focus on applied learning.
"By intensifying and deepening their training through industry exposure at multiple touch points during the student's candidature, we instil in students a mindset of learning by doing and enhance their industry-readiness."
AI was identified as a key technology for Singapore's Smart Nation transformation in the 2019 National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, said SIT.
Several initiatives are in place, including the training of 25,000 AI-proficient professionals by 2025.
Worldwide spending on AI systems is also expected to jump from US$85.3 billion (S$115.5 billion) in 2021 to more than US$204 billion in 2025, according to an August 2021 report by global market intelligence provider International Data Corporation.
The DSC programme was designed in consultation with key partners such as ST Logistics, YCH Group, Y3 Technologies and Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), said the university.
The surge in demand for e-commerce and delivery services has also accelerated the adoption of integrated systems that use automation and digitalisation, such as AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics, which bring greater speed and efficiency to warehousing and transportation.
A report by the Ministry of Manpower in October 2020 showed that higher-value job roles such as logistics system engineer, supply chain analyst, and automation specialist are increasingly in demand to meet the logistics sector's evolving operating models and business needs.
Meanwhile, the joint Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering programmes offered by SIT and Newcastle University will be merged into a three-year Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (Name).
Students in the AAI, DSC and Name programmes will participate in the Integrated Work Study Programme, an eight-month work attachment where they can learn from experts in the industry.
Ms Annie Lam, head of group human resources at YCH Group, said: "SIT has an established history of developing work-ready graduates, and we believe that our collaboration by incorporating hands-on experiential experience in curricula will give the graduates a competitive edge as they embark on their careers."
Applications for admission to SIT for the 2022 academic year, which begins on Sept 5, are currently open till March 19.
