The TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative has equipped more than 3,000 Singaporeans with 5G skills over the last year. In addition, a new 5G training portal has been launched to train more Singaporeans to take up fresh opportunities in this growth area.
As of end-August, several Singaporean telecommunications companies said that their 5G networks – which can offer speeds 10 times faster than today’s 4G and can allow more devices to be connected with much less lag – already cover half of the country. 5G signals are expected to cover the whole island by the end of 2025.
The private and public sectors have launched many trials for 5G solutions, such as the government’s test of a driverless road sweeper in Sentosa that can, in an emergency, be controlled remotely through 5G by an operator located 20km away. Some 5G services have also been launched, such as almost instantaneous streams of high-resolution videos for surveillance, which are more difficult to achieve with 4G.
This very rapid progress was made possible through the combined effort of all 12 institutes of higher learning and industry partners. Singapore is pushing ahead with its 5G roll-out, she said, noting that technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence are key planks in the broader trend of digitalisation.
– Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information
Minister for Communications and Information also officially launched the new Singapore 5G and 5G Academy portal at Singapore Polytechnic’s (SP) annual Regional Industry Networking Conference (RINC), which discusses the latest engineering trends, developments, and innovations. The Singapore Polytechnic’s 5G & Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) Centre.
The 5G Academy equipped Singaporeans with 5G skills. The Academy, led by Singapore Polytechnic (SP) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), works with the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), Mobile Network Operators and industry partners to aggregate hiring and training requirements from the 5G ecosystem.
To date, more than 3,000 Singaporeans have been trained with 5G skills through the Academy and the combined effort of all the Institutes of Higher Learning and industry partners. These trainees have been equipped with skills required for 5G jobs such as Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Software Development. The 5G Academy’s new training portal includes more than 500 courses from various Institutes of Higher Learning, and more training options with other training providers and industry partners will continuously be added to the portal.
5G is the next bound of mobile technology that underpins our digital economy. It offers many good job opportunities and we have thus far equipped more than 3,000 Singaporeans with 5G skills. I hope to see more Singaporeans seizing these opportunities, and join us in building Singapore’s digital future.
– Mr Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive of IMDA
Singapore Polytechnic’s 5G & AIoT Centre will enable enterprises to prototype and adopt 5G innovation and solutions. The Centre aims to accelerate the development of 5G industrial use cases in Singapore. Companies that are keen to develop proof-of-concept solutions can also consult technical experts at the centre for the development of their 5G products and services.
The 5G & AIoT Centre also offers a 5G Learning Journey that provides companies with an experiential learning environment to understand how 5G can be used innovatively to create products and services or improve existing ones.
The TechSkills Accelerator initiative aims to build and develop a skilled ICT workforce for the Singapore economy and enhance employability outcomes for individuals. The programme is led by, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG).
As reported by OpenGov Asia, as the architects of Singapore’s digital future, IMDA tackles head-on the challenges that come with successfully developing and deploying emerging, frontier technologies across various sectors. With the ongoing nationwide rollout of 5G, the agency is employing design principles to bring the benefits of 5G to individuals and enterprises.
