Singapore sets up new council for TechSkills Accelerator

The Singapore Government has formed a new council to coordinate hiring and training of technology expertise. The council will drive the new TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA), a scheme to find skills gaps and improve hiring in tech roles.

The Governing Council is lead by Gabriel Lim, CEO-designate of the Infocomm Media Development Authority. It also includes senior officials from other agencies to help coordinate the scheme across government.

Among these are: Jacqueline Poh, CEO-designate of Singapore’s GovTech agency; Augustin Lee, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Manpower; and Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of the Singapore Workforce Development Authority.

The council will be advised by industry-specific committees from three sectors - financial services, healthcare and ICT.

The healthcare committee will be chaired by Dr Chong Yoke Sin, CEO of Integrated Health Information Systems.

The financial committee will be helmed by Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Susan Hwee, Managing Director at UOB.

In ICT, the committee will be led by three people: Khoong Hock Yun, Assistant CEO of IDA; Lim Kang Song and Benjamin Mah, leaders of the Talent and Capabilities Committee, Singapore IT Federation.

The TechSkills Accelerator was announced during the budget this year. It identifies gaps in existing tech skills and job requirements, and partners with trainers to plug the skills shortage.

It will develop training in core ICT areas, like cyber-security, data analytics, network infrastructures and software development. There will also be industry-specific training, such as in finance and healthcare.

The government will work with employers to hire based on skillsets, rather than academic qualifications. It will also develop skills standards to help employers measure the proficiency of their hires.