Taking the (digital) initiative

Digital skills upgrading isn’t just for mid-career individuals. Younger Singaporeans are signing up to acquire knowledge and skills that will help them get a head start in school, become more nimble at work and even help turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.

Three such Singaporeans who recently equipped themselves with digital skills share why and how they did so. All three graduated from the industry-vetted Intro to Digital Marketing course at digital skills provider Smartcademy.

THE LEARNER

Ms Gabrielle Allison Maswi may only be 21, but the Singapore Management University (SMU) student is eager to help the marketing aspects of her mother’s student accommodation business go digital, instead of relying on word of mouth.

Ms Maswi, who is studying for her Bachelor of Accountancy and Psychology, chose Smartcademy after learning about it through the SMU Students’ Association.

“I find the curriculum very enriching because of the large amount of content taught in every lesson,” she said. “The course covers a wide range of topics, from content generation to advertising techniques and analysis – too many to list!”

Ms Maswi found the industry tools and measurements used to conduct marketing analysis to be the most valuable aspect of the course. After completing the course, she continued using the online resources recommended by her instructors, which stood her in good stead at school.

“Because of Smartcademy’s lessons, I was able to value-add to my summer school project team, and a few of my friends have even started using the resources for their own projects,” she said.

She added: “I see myself embarking on an entrepreneurial journey while still helping with my family business in the next five to 10 years, and I believe the course will help the business to stay relevant and sustainable in a digitalised world.”

THE BUILDER

Mr Amos Soh, a 24-year-old who works in the agriculture industry, observed that the relationship between customers and businesses is evolving, with real-time interactions and direct engagement made possible by social media.

Wanting to stay relevant, he enrolled in Smartcademy’s Intro to Digital Marketing course.

As he was new to the discipline, Mr Soh initially found the course challenging: “There were many unfamiliar industry terms that took me a while to understand. The one-on-one consultations with the instructors helped clarify my doubts.”

The instructors tapped into their wealth of professional experience to illustrate digital marketing principles, which Mr Soh appreciated. “My trainer used to work in Uber and he shared with us the different forms of marketing campaigns. Different countries have different cultures which makes marketing requirements different.”

Students could also consult instructors if they had personal projects they were pursuing outside the curriculum.

“The instructors were extremely helpful and patient,” said Mr Soh, who is helping to run a Facebook ad campaign for a salon business.

“I volunteered to put my new-found knowledge into practice, and I am currently in the midst of analysing the results and leads generated from the ad. As businesses are failing due to the pandemic, I hope that I will be able to help this business and put my new skillset to use at the same time.”

THE DREAMER

For Mr Nate Tan, the circuit breaker was a good opportunity to pursue the digital side of marketing, which he’d always wanted to try but never had time for.

The 28-year-old, who works in the aviation industry, liked that Smartcademy’s course covered a wide range of digital marketing aspects, from search engine optimisation to advertising on social media platforms.

He also enjoyed how practical the course was. “Being able to do up a Google Ad campaign and using Google Analytics to analyse meaningful data helped me to better understand the entire process, from planning an ad campaign to understanding how well the campaign went.”

Mr Tan was so inspired that after graduating, he continued learning learn more about digital marketing. He is currently teaching himself to draw data from a database through an online platform.

Mr Tan hopes that his newfound skills will help him to achieve his dream of doing good for society and the environment.

“The knowledge I’ve gained from this course will definitely put me ahead in terms of being considered for a digital marketing role,” he said. “I want to take this knowledge and align it with my personal goal to help advocate in responsible marketing and promote responsible consumption, which is also in line with sustainability issues.”

Future-proof your career at Smartcademy.sg, one of Singapore's leading technology training providers.

Eligible Singaporeans and Permanent Residents can apply for funding support of up to 90 per cent (terms and conditions apply).