Event Highlights: Step IT Up x Temus Inaugural Graduation Ceremony

On Tuesday, 7 March 2023, Temus held its first Step IT Up graduation ceremony with 21 trainees receiving their completion certificates and newly acquired capabilities in the .Net Framework. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour Kiren Kumar, Deputy Chief Executive, IMDA and Chia Song Hwee, Chairman, Temus, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Temasek International. The ceremony was also attended by Temus executives, customers, Step IT Up graduates, and their family members.

STEP IT UP’S IMPACT ON SINGAPORE’S DIGITAL ECONOMY JOURNEY

In his opening address, Temus CEO KC Yeoh emphasised that most jobs, presently and in the future, will require some level of digital literacy. More importantly, a digital economy will need an increasing number of tech talent to drive this transition.

Chairman, Temus, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Temasek International Chia Song Hwee echoed KC’s sentiments in his congratulatory speech, reinstating the importance of building Singapore’s tech talent as they make up a “critical part of every industry.”

With Step IT Up, Temus strives to train and deploy skilled tech talent in just four months; or in KC’s words, “they are the builders of our new digital economy.” Temus is poised to develop 400 tech talents by 2025, through Step IT Up.

Together with IMDA’s TechSkills Accelerator support, Song Hwee is also confident that more companies like Temus will be able to step up and play their part in developing the tech talent pool.

WHAT ARE STEP IT UP GRADUANDS SAYING?

Toh Hong Yun, Abigail Chieng, and Christopher Tan provided some valuable insights into their Step IT Up experiences.

Christopher, who was previously an optometrist before deciding to make a career switch to the tech industry, shared that the intensive training schedule meant that the course was difficult to navigate at times, not just for the trainees but also for their loved ones. The three graduands were grateful for the support they received from their peers during the programme, which has helped them grow together as a tightly-knit team, making their experience much more meaningful as they overcame challenges together.

LEARNING IS A LIFE-LONG JOURNEY

Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching. BG Moore, President, Xpanxion, who founded the Step IT Up programme together with Temus’ strategic partner UST in 2014, abides by a mission statement – “Changing lives through technology.” He believes that one never stops learning in the tech space and the change that comes around can be relatively transformative.

KUDOS TO OUR STEP IT UP GRADUANDS!

The event paid tribute to all the Step IT Up trainees’ hard work and dedication throughout the past four months. Special appreciation was given to a few candidates that exemplified exceptional results, grit, and social leadership.

Former freelance editor Melissa Chua was the recipient of the Top Performer Award in recognition of her consistent top scores and excellent soft skills. The Rising Star Award was received by Edmond Toh, who left the construction sector for the promising prospects in tech, and had demonstrated the most perseverance in overcoming obstacles to complete the programme. Finally, for best embodying the Temus values of teamwork, empowerment, meaningful impact, uniqueness, and sustainability, former optometrist Christopher Tan was awarded the Shining Star Award.

ALONE WE CAN DO SO LITTLE; TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH

As the event concluded, Founding Member and Chief Revenue Officer of Temus, Srijay Ghosh shared that the spirit of this inaugural cohort is to “Leave no one behind”.

It is vital that investments are made to develop our people digitally as “Singapore’s progress as a Smart Nation depends on the collective transformation of its citizens,” said Srijay.

When Temus was founded, it was as much about building capabilities and value creation, as it was about organically developing digital talent. The programme, training individuals without prior tech training, ensures that no one gets left behind on our journey towards becoming a digital economy.

Our graduates will begin their tech careers as full-time Associate Software Developers with Temus in March 2023, and will be deployed to different teams servicing clients from the public sector and private enterprises across industries like healthcare, finance, and education.

Congratulations to our first Step IT Up x Temus cohort!