WELCOME SPEECH BY KC YEOH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TEMUS, AT THE LAUNCH OF STEP IT UP FOR SINGAPORE ON 26 JANUARY 2022, THURSDAY.

KC Yeoh
Chief Executive Officer,
Temus

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information & Second Minister for Home Affairs
Friends, partners, members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning.

On behalf of Temus, I would like to welcome you to the launch of Step IT Up for Singapore. I would also like to express our appreciation to Minister Josephine Teo for gracing the event. Thank you, Minister.

Introduction to Step IT Up x Temus

According to SkillsFuture Singapore, being digital-trained is one of the “priority skills” that are in high demand today. In the digital economy, most jobs will require some degree of digital literacy, which is transferable and valuable across different roles and industries. But more importantly, a digital economy will need a growing pool of coders, software developers, and technologists. These are the builders of our digital economy that Temus aims to develop through Step IT Up.

The Step IT Up programme, created by Temus’ strategic partner and global digital services company UST, has seen very good results. To date, over 1,100 people around the world have graduated from the programme. Around 90% of trainees have secured good digital jobs with leading MNCs and remained with these firms for over two years. This track record is a promising indication that through Step IT Up, people gain valuable tech careers.

The programme follows a ‘hire, place, and train’ protocol. Each training curriculum is customised to the needs of their future employers. That way, graduates can transition seamlessly into their full-time tech roles.

In August 2022, we invited applications to our first Step IT Up programme with the aim of retraining and upskilling Singaporeans and PRs without prior tech background. We welcomed candidates from all stages of their careers, neither favouring academic credentials nor stage in life; be it fresh graduates or those who were looking to make a mid-career switch. In doing so, we aspired to equip people with the relevant skills and empower them to shape the digital future of Singapore and beyond. We were heartened to see the enthusiastic response, receiving over 800 applications from candidates coming from a variety of backgrounds.

For example, we have Christopher Tan, a former optometrist, and Eric, who was an offshore research engineer. Christopher and Eric are brothers – but interestingly, both brothers did not know that they had signed up for the same programme. Christopher, Eric and other candidates were assured of a S$3,000 monthly stipend, the support of professional coaches, a robust training curriculum, and a guaranteed job as a software developer with Temus, upon their graduation.

But while Temus provided them the opportunity to transform their career, the onus was ultimately on these individuals to boldly step up to the challenge, venture outside their comfort zone, and undergo the rigorous process of “being the change” they want to see. Not because they thought the journey would be easy, but because it would be worthwhile.

Our inaugural cohort of 22 trainees is slated to graduate this March, after their four-month intensive training in dot-Net. Subsequent cohorts could be trained in other digital capabilities, such as in building software applications with OutSystems, an industry leading low-code app development platform. Applications are now open, so I welcome aspiring builders of our digital economy to sign up on the ‘Step IT Up x Temus’ website.

Firms can now grow their tech talent pool with Step IT Up

Despite what seems like an impending global economic slowdown, we continue to see demand for tech talent here remaining strong and robust.

This is why Temus aspires to support our customers to build a talent pool. The progress that our first cohort of Step IT Up trainees are making gives us the confidence, that with the right learning agility, motivation, and resolve, people have the potential to do well as productive members of a digital workforce.

As we launch Step IT Up for Singapore today, I invite more organisations from both the public and private sectors to partner with Temus to fully unlock the potential of many more talented individuals to drive your digital transformation journeys.

Building Singapore’s digital economy with customers and partners

The future of Singapore’s economy is digital, and that future depends on what we do in the present.

Temus was established by Temasek and UST in April 2021 by the need for sophisticated digital capabilities to drive transformation across the public and private sectors, in Singapore and broader region.

Today, we are delighted to be partners of Singapore’s most future-forward organisations for a wide range of digital transformation services, ranging from strategic advisory to human- centred design, technology to data and artificial intelligence.

In tandem with their growing digital aspirations, I am happy to share that we are poised to expand our presence by five-fold by 2025, while remaining firmly anchored to our foundation of a strong Singapore core.

We look forward to continuing our partnerships with government agencies like IMDA, as well as our customers, to build digital capabilities for them and accelerate the growth of the local digital talent pool, so that we will keep Singapore’s digital economy thriving for the generations ahead.

Thank you.