New online portal offers ICT courses in partnership with major employers

SINGAPORE — School-leavers and mid-career professionals with an interest in information and communications technology (ICT) may now start signing up for some 380 training courses and certifications through a new online portal.

The courses are conducted in partnership with major employers, as part of the Government’s Technology Skills Accelerator (Tesa) programme first announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat at this year’s Budget. 

The healthcare and financial sectors have also hopped onboard, and companies that are part of the initiative include Singtel, ST Electronics, Mediacorp, DBS and United Overseas Bank.

Course-takers can expect to learn ICT core skills through short, modular classes, while mid-career professionals with a background in ICT may further hone their skills in specific areas, such as the finance and healthcare fields under the programme. Those interested may register through the portal (www.infocommtalent.sg), which was jointly launched by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. 

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Information Technology on Friday (May 6), Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said the demand for ICT skills is getting more specialised. 

“Banks are not just looking for ICT professionals with strong foundations in data analytics, but also professionals who understand the financial industry, and who can apply their skills to complex financial transactions and analyses,” he said.

Noting that it is important to help these workers get better jobs and advance in their careers, Dr Yaacob said “job placement is a key priority” through strong partnerships with employers and the industry.

“To institutionalise this, we will form a Tesa Governing Council comprising key hirers from the industry, and Tesa Sector Committees comprising the main employers from that particular sector,” he said. 

The courses on the new portal are offered by 34 training providers, including the NTUC Learning Hub and a few universities, with more to come in the pipeline. These providers, together with key employers, will ensure that Singapore’s ICT workers have the skills to remain relevant. 

Singtel, for its part, has committed to train 130 professionals for cybersecurity job roles that are in high demand under its newly launched Cyber Security Associates and Technologists programme.

For Nanyang Polytechnic student Arthur Koh, 19, who was one of the 650 or so graduates who received his diploma from the School of Information Technology yesterday, the Tesa programme is a “very good initiative to add on to what we’ve already learnt”.

The recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Award said: “I think for graduates like me, who are moving on to university or the army, there is an opportunity for us to take these courses. We have the opportunity to continue our learning.”