ORACLE CLOUDWORLD TOUR, SINGAPORE —16 April 2024
Oracle today announced its collaboration with the Singapore Government to bolster the nation’s digital workforce by training up to 10,000 students and professionals in the latest digital technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, cybersecurity and data science by 2027. Through the collaboration with IMDA’s TechSkills Accelerator for Institute of Technical Education and Polytechnics Alliance (TIP Alliance), Oracle is offering internships and apprenticeships to students and graduates across five polytechnics. Additionally, Oracle University, the company’s comprehensive training and enablement platform, will provide Singapore-based learners certifications and trainings in key digital skills. This will equip Singapore’s digital talent pool with essential skills for tomorrow’s technology-driven careers.
“When we launched the refreshed National AI Strategy (NAIS 2.0) in December last year, we set ambitious goals, one of which involves tripling our AI practitioner pool to 15,000 over the next five years. Although it has only been four months, Singapore is already making good progress towards realising our vision of cultivating a skilled tech workforce capable of driving innovation and meeting industry demands. I am delighted to welcome like-minded partners such as Oracle to join us on our AI journey,” said Mrs Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity.
“Oracle’s decades of data expertise and unique full stack of cloud-based AI continue to fuel our own business and our commitment to digital skills development in the industry,” said Garrett Ilg, executive vice president and general manager, Japan & Asia Pacific, Oracle. “With Singapore’s digital economy nearly doubling since 2018, it’s essential for the nation’s talent pool to evolve in tandem, ensuring a skilled future-ready workforce. Our TIP Alliance collaboration and Oracle University platform strongly align with Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative. By enhancing the digital literacy of the workforce, we aim to bolster local employment opportunities and equip individuals to navigate the complexities of the digital economy effectively.”
Oracle is offering up to 300 internships and apprenticeships to students and graduates across five polytechnics over three years in collaboration with TIP Alliance as well as via Oracle’s programmes. To prepare the next generation for the tech industry and shift industry hiring practices from qualification-based to skills-based, Oracle is offering training to students and graduates in vital career skills for the digital era. This includes AI, generative AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data management, and autonomous databases. Students will also receive on-the-job training and benefit from the invaluable opportunity to work alongside industry experts at Oracle. To-date, close to 100 students have embarked on their internship journey.
As part of Oracle’s on-going efforts to provide readily-available digital talent to the local workforce, Oracle University will provide trainings and certifications for up to 9,700 learners in Singapore over the next three years. The program offers rigorous foundational training in data-driven technologies that will then channel students to professional-level training and certifications in areas such as AI, cloud, cybersecurity and data science—as well as additional training curated individually based on learning levels and educational goals. Oracle has also introduced a new Gen AI Professional Certification, specifically designed to empower digital professionals in Singapore with advanced expertise and skills in AI technologies. Additionally, learners can earn digital badges to indicate their job readiness for specialized roles, helping potential employers to better identify candidates and support job placement opportunities in Singapore.
Oracle University provides access to some of the world’s leading technology experts and practitioners to support cloud technology training and certification all over the world. More than 20 million hours of Oracle University learning content have been viewed by learners globally, and the programme has trained more than 3.1 million Oracle certified professionals in the global workforce, including Singapore.
Analysts and Customers on Oracle’s Digital Training Programmes
“IDC predicts that by 2027, two-thirds of cloud applications will use AI, leaving 80 percent of Asia organizations to struggle with finding enough skilled AI professionals to continually manage and update them. The combination of limited hiring budgets and scarce talent availability presents a significant obstacle for regional organizations seeking skills necessary for smart cloud and AI applications. Without prompt action, this could substantially impede AI adoption progress compared to other regions,” said Deepika Giri, associate vice president, IDC.
“Innovation is one of our values at Singlife. With our roots in insurtech, we are an early adopter of AI in our technology stack. This is why we continue to nurture our employees to develop innovative solutions. At our internal competition, #BetterIdea Challenge, we partnered Oracle, tapping on their Cloud Infrastructure solutions to develop innovative proof-of-concepts, ranging from AI, Gen AI, GPU, Autonomous Database and document analysis to AI-assisted recommendations,” said Romil Sharma, group head of technology and operations, Singlife.