Page 46 - Forbes - Asia (July - August 2018)

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consortium that signed an agreement
with Japan’s NEC Corp. earlier this year
to build a cable connecting Singapore,
Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, South
Korea and Japan. According to Singtel,
the new cable will support the require-
ments of advanced technologies such as
the internet of things (IoT), robotics, data
analytics, artificial intelligence and virtual
reality applications.

Manpower: Grooming Talent for
the Future
Recognizing that there is a global shortage
of skills around deep technology—break- Trade participant experiencing immersive media at SG Digital Industry Day.
through science and engineering innova-
tions—Singapore has been working hard to demand for skilled ICT professionals accel- filtered down to the local ecosystem and
equip its workers with core competencies erates in the midst of rapid disruption and help strengthen manpower capabilities.
that are relevant to the future economy. transformation, TeSA will scale up its efforts Among other initiatives, the authorities
In 2016, IMDA and its stakeholder part- to prepare more local talent for the roles have implemented strong research and
ners introduced the TechSkills Accelerator that will be needed in the digital age. innovation programs in AI, IoT, cybersecu-
(TeSA) initiative to build a skilled Informa- In particular, IMDA is pushing to grow the rity and immersive media.
tion and communication technology (ICT) local industry’s pool of skilled professionals Earlier this year, for instance, the
workforce for the local economy. As the in the key emerging areas of AI, data ana- region’s first cybersecurity start-up hub—
lytics, cybersecurity, immersive Innovation Cybersecurity Ecosystem at
media and IoT, even as it wel- Block 71— was established to strengthen
comes global experts in these Singapore’s growing security ecosystem.
spaces to Singapore. The center aims to achieve this by devel-
Collectively, these various oping capabilities and deep technologies
efforts to develop Singapore’s to help mitigate cybersecurity risks in
technology sector will ensure that the region.
it remains relevant over the long On the ground, IMDA is working to help
term and provides an attractive tech entrepreneurs scale their businesses
base for innovative companies to through a range of assistance schemes
realize their global ambitions. that provide financial, technical and mar-
keting support. One of these programs
Info-communications Media Development Pillars of Technology is Accreditation@SG Digital, which helps
i
Authority sharing the Singapore Digital Economy Fur thermore, Singapore s accelerate the growth of Singapore-based
Framework for Action with more than 2,000 developing competencies in key tech start-ups so they can more quickly
attendees at SG Digital Industry Day. technology pillars that can be develop a global footprint (see page 8).

Preparing a New Generation of AI Professionals
Run by Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative aims to develop
the skills of information and communication technology professionals.

Under TeSA, a training program in artificial intelligence was launched to train 200 apprentices in the field over the next three
years. Jointly developed by IMDA and AI Singapore, this apprenticeship program will equip professionals with critical AI
skills, such as machine and deep learning, and prepare them in deploying the technology. The AI Apprentice Programme was
designed by industry practitioners with a focus on the following key aspects:

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The program is just one example of how Singapore is working to ensure that its technology sector is prepared to tackle the
challenges of a digital future.

7 Singapore