With the infocomm industry recording double-digit growth of almost 14 per cent and generating close to S$52 billion in revenue in 2007, the demand for more industry-ready infocomm talent has been steadily burgeoning.

RADM(NS) Lui: NIS' distinctiveness is due to the multi-party collaboration between multinational corporations, local companies and government agencies.

Said Senior Minister of State (Education, and Information, Communications and the Arts) RADM(NS) Lui Tuck Yew at the award ceremony, "The future of
infocomm offers promising growth prospects, and IDA is committed to grooming a sustainable pool of
industry-ready, globally competitive infocomm professionals."

Through "unique" programmes like the NIS, scholars will not only further the industry's growth, but also contribute to the development of other sectors that leverage infocomm, such as healthcare and defence. He added that NIS' distinctiveness is due to the multi-party collaboration between multinational corporations, local companies and government agencies. Not only does the scholarship nurture infocomm talent in "diverse sectors", it also provides "practical industry exposure". Beyond academia, scholars get the opportunity to accrue valuable work experience and industry mentorships - a win-win situation for both scholars and their sponsors.

Since 2004, 155 top students from junior colleges, polytechnics and universities have received the scholarship. Of these, 38 have joined the infocomm workforce since 2005, and another 27 are expected to do so over the next two years.

This year also saw an increase in the number of supporting industry partners. Seven new organisations from diverse sectors - for example, Barclays Capital from finance, MobileOne from telecommunications, and Symantec from IT security - joined the programme, bringing the total number of sponsors to 27.

Beyond the NIS, IDA is also beefing up other aspects of its infocomm talent management programme. For the next three years till 2010, scholars will get up to S$7,000 to up-skill himself or herself. This amount can be spent on professional development courses such as client management, domain knowledge, soft skills or business communication, and is above and beyond the NIS sponsorship.

Click here for more information on the National Infocomm
Scholarships. For details of IDA's other talent development initiatives,
visit talent.singaporeinfocomm.sg.

Ms Chan: Good resource is always hard to find, which is why we are a big believer in nurturing talent.

The National Infocomm Scholarships (NIS) provides organisations with an effective channel for identifying and grooming infocomm talent.

According to Mrs Chan Hoi San, HR Director at StarHub, good resource is always hard to find, "which is why we are a big believer in nurturing talent".

StarHub sponsored the biggest number of NIS scholars – eight in total – amongst all the participating organisations this year. The quality of NIS scholars has been good, which is why StarHub has been very supportive of the programme after coming on board two years back. Added Mrs Chan,: "We engage our scholars early, even before they graduate, to ensure they assimilate into the company's culture."

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, which runs the NIS programme, may do the liaising between would-be scholars and supporting organisations, but that is only one foot in the door.

Said Ms Angeline Chan, 19, a 2008 NIS scholar who will be studying Computer Science at the National University of Singapore later this year, "I went for interviews with three different organisations, and the process helped me and the organisations decide who would be best [for us]."

Eventually she ended up with NCS, who was the most engaging in "terms of culture and fit", and which she believed would offer her a "good experience" when she started work.

NCS, who has been on the NIS program since the very beginning in 2004, has given high marks to their existing scholars.

Said Ms Tham Yoom Ling, Director of Global Resource Management, NCS: "Our [graduated] scholars have been progressing very well and we’re very happy with them. NCS supports the initiative of IDA in attracting and developing the human resource talent in the IT industry."

Click here for more information on the National Infocomm
Scholarships. For details of IDA's other talent development initiatives,
visit talent.singaporeinfocomm.sg.

Life has been an exciting experience - both work-wise and play-wise - for Mr Jason Wei, ever since he graduated in December 2007 under the National Infocomm Scholarship programme and went to work for his sponsor NCS.

In the last eight months, he has been posted to two different parts of the world to work on two completely different IT projects. "It has been challenging, but also a very interesting experience," he said.

Immediately after he received his Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Engineering) from the National University of Singapore, he was posted to Shanghai to deliver multimedia solutions for the luxury hotels Conrad and Jumeirah. The NCS team designed and implemented a smart system where everything in the hotel rooms - from lighting to room service to drapery - can be electronically controlled by a central system.

Mr Wei: I love to explore new places and cultures, and overseas work gives me a good platform to do so.

Jason is currently based in Dubai, and he is working on a completely different IT project which involves the usage of fingerprint biometrics and other forms of authentication to secure a building facility for a client. The high-tech project also includes other areas of technology like RFID, where access cards with the right chip will grant access to the correct elevator floors without employees even having to raise a finger or tap a card.

His mantra for coping with his whirlwind tour-of-duty - exacerbated by the fact that Shanghai and Dubai are two very different cities - is adaptability: one needs to "adapt quickly to be effective". "Being overseas, we're on our own, far away from the support of lots of resources back home [in Singapore]," he said.

Work may have been challenging for the self-confessed IT geek - the main reason why he ended up in an IT career - but he is no armchair slouch either when he has leisure time. "Travelling has always been part of my life," he said. "I love to travel and explore new places and cultures, and overseas work gives me a good platform to do so."

During his free time whilst on his Shanghai attachment, he camped in a yurt in the Mongolian grasslands, gone camel riding in the Gobi dessert and hiked up the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan), amongst other activities.

The overseas stint, which came as part of the NIS programme, has given him a "head start" compared to his peers, he said. "Not many fresh graduates have the opportunity to work overseas at the onset of their careers."

Click here for more information on the National Infocomm
Scholarships. For details of IDA's other talent development initiatives,
visit talent.singaporeinfocomm.sg.