YouthTech programme to equip 1,000 youths with digital skills, offer work experience
File photo of students in the National University of Singapore. (Photo: Darius Boey)
SINGAPORE: Up to 1,000 young people will soon have a chance to learn digital skills and gain placement opportunities to support digitalisation in the community and social sector organisations under a new progamme.
Announced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong on Thursday (Sep 3), the YouthTech programme is jointly set up by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Youth Council (NYC).
It will “equip 1,000 youths, in the first instance, with digital skills and training, and then deploy them into the community and the social service sector to help in these sectors to upskill and to digitalise”, said Mr Tong in Parliament.
The programme aims to provide young people with the opportunity to upskill and gain work experience in the digital field.
At the same time, it will also seek to tap on youths to support businesses and organisations in the digital media, arts, sports, community and social sectors - including social service agencies, charities and religious and youth sector organisations - to go digital.
This follows MCCY’s addendum to the President’s address last Friday, in which Mr Tong announced the setting up of a “digital corps” to involve young people in spurring digitalisation efforts within the community and social sectors.
READ: MCCY to set up ‘digital corps’ which will deploy youths to help community, social sectors go digital
Deployments at host organisations will last between six to 12 months, depending on the organisation’s needs, and will be supervised and supported by NYC and the host.
While the programme is open to all youths, recent graduates from the Institute of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities will get priority, said NYC in a media release.
Unemployed people aged 35 or younger in 2021 may also apply, regardless of their educational background or qualifications.
Applicants’ digital proficiency will be evaluated, and they will attend training for up to a month before being deployed to their host organisations. This training will be provided by accredited organisations and funded by NYC, said the council.
Applications open in October and more details will be provided at a later date.
