Singapore –Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has partnered with Singapore Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to hire and reskill 1,000 professionals in preparation for Singapore’s 5G rollout.
Of the trainee count, 30% will come from new roles, while the remaining will be telecom professionals who will be upskilled in the areas of the 5G network, cybersecurity, and solution engineering.
IMDA said that the program is the first of its implementations from its overall objective to equip a total of 5,000 professionals over the next 3 years to develop a strong and 5G skilled workforce.
The program is in line with the government board’s ongoing TechSkills Accelerator initiative which aims to enhance training and placement opportunities for information and communications technology (ICT) jobs across the economy. For the program, IMDA has set up 5G Workforce Transformation Committees (WTCs) to oversee the planning and development of the trainees’ capabilities. In addition, a consortium composed of the National University of Singapore and Singapore Polytechnic has been appointed as the 5G and telecoms program manager. They will be tasked to aggregate hiring and training requirements of the WTCs through co-developing quality training that meets the demand of enabling Singaporeans to take on 5G jobs.
Lew Chuen Hong, chief executive officer of IMDA said, “Talent development is the next critical phase of our investment in 5G. This effort extends Singapore’s momentum in 5G following our investment in building infrastructure capabilities. We have worked with the local MNOs to unlock the potential of 5G for these 1,000 professionals and will continue to do so to create good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans. At the same time, to ensure we have a strong pipeline of 5G talent who are skilled and ready, IMDA is leading efforts to appoint credible training partners to develop 5G skills across the ecosystem. The first wave of training will begin at the end of 2020 with the MNOs’ 5G professionals.”