Tech firm to hire 400 poly grads, sponsor studies for IT degrees

A new work-study programme will see 400 polytechnic graduates get hired by local tech firm NCS and attain university degrees in information technology (IT) disciplines over the next two years.

The programme, a partnership between NCS and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), was launched on Wednesday.

Under Fusion, as the programme is called, polytechnic graduates holding diplomas in information and communications technology disciplines will be hired and trained by NCS in fields such as software development and cyber security.

They will also enrol in IT-related degree courses at the Singapore Institute of Technology or Singapore Institute of Management, with fees fully sponsored by NCS.

At Wednesday's event, which was attended by Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Tan Kiat How, representatives from NCS and IMDA inked an agreement for the programme.

NCS will also be launching a similar programme in 2023 for 400 students from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), under which they will work and study for an IT-related diploma.

Both programmes are aimed at plugging the current shortage of local tech talent.

They will complement NCS' current work-study programme launched in 2019 for 800 degree holders - a partnership between NCS, IMDA and the National University of Singapore's Institute of Systems Science.

In total, the three programmes will create 1,600 tech jobs and training opportunities over the next two years.

"We will also provide internship opportunities for another 1,000 students over the next two years, to nurture their interest in tech," said NCS' chief executive Ng Kuo Pin on Wednesday.

NCS is the first company to roll out a work-study programme under the TechSkills Accelerator for ITE and Polytechnics Alliance since the initiative was set up in September.

The alliance aims to equip Singaporean students and graduates from polytechnics and ITE with tech-related skills, which will help them begin their careers in the tech sector. It comprises companies such as Google, Singtel and DBS, and aims to fill 1,000 tech job roles over the next three years.

The initiative was first mentioned during this year's ministerial budget debates in Parliament in March.

 

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 06, 2022, with the headline Tech firm to hire 400 poly grads, sponsor studies for IT degrees. Subscribe