Announcing the launch of the P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High-School) school model earlier today, IBM partnered with ITE and all of the polytechnics in Singapore to help all Singaporean students to have the chance to gain the necessary skills in the technological advanced society.
With the needs for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skilled individuals rising rapidly, the P-TECH programme will help to fill in this skill gap in related sectors. The programme also helps to close the gap in Post-Secondary education and provide “new collar” careers for these individuals.
The newly dubbed “new collar” careers do not require high qualifications on paper, as they only require the necessary and specific skills to be learnt beforehand. This is great news for the industry as a whole, as many do feel that the paper qualifications are just a ticket to their first job.
“Together with the growing P-TECH ecosystem, we will help students better understand the connection between their coursework, field experiences, and the “real world” expectations of the workplace” – Harriet Green, CEO and Chairman of IBM Asia Pacific.
You can also find the official press release below.
IBM Launches P-TECH Programme in Singapore with ITE and Polytechnics
Pathways in Technology Early College High-Schools (P-TECH) aims to plug new collar skills shortage, aligning with Singapore Government’s call to shift focus from paper qualifications to skills
SINGAPORE, 9 July, 2018 — IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced that it is launching the P-TECH School Model (“Pathways in Technology Early College High-Schools”) in Singapore, in partnership with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic (together referred to as “Participating Institutions of Higher Learning”). Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education, witnessed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between IBM and the participating institutions.
Singapore is the first ASEAN country to launch P-TECH, and the fifth globally, after successful implementations in the United States, Morocco, Australia and Taiwan.
This education model provides ITE students early exposure to jobs in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and other “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics” (STEM) disciplines. They will be equipped with the necessary skills for competitive “new collar”[1] careers, and will be supported by IBM and the participating institutions as they progress from ITE to pursue their Polytechnic Diplomas or ITE Work-Learn Technical Diplomas (WLTDs) in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) / STEM sectors. IBM will also work with ITE to launch at least one WLTD in the ICT sector, with the involvement of other companies. Industries will provide a range of experiences that include mentorship and internships, along with “first in line” job opportunities.
P-TECH is strongly aligned with the Singapore Government’s call for a shift in emphasis from paper qualifications, towards recognizing skills and contributions to society.
At the same time, this model and its growing ecosystem will help tackle new workforce challenges in Singapore, increasing the pool of skilled talents as companies across sectors ramp up their digital transformation efforts.
Mr Ong Ye Kung, who witnessed the MOU signing, said, “P-TECH will strengthen workplace learning opportunities for our ITE and polytechnic students. With workplace learning becoming a critical part of education and training, we are especially encouraged that IBM will be working with ITE to develop and launch a new WLTD, broadening opportunities for ITE graduates in the ICT field. It will marry ITE’s expertise in education with IBM’s industry knowledge and experience.”
“The urgent need for skilled STEM talent is a global phenomenon and one that IBM has been keenly aware of. P-TECH was a direct response by IBM to the global skills crisis and is very much in line with the needs and strategy of Singapore as a nation. We are extremely excited and privileged to be partnering with ITE and all the Polytechnics in Singapore to bring the P-TECH programme to life, effectively creating new learning pathways to much needed new collar careers. IBM is also actively on-boarding like-minded corporations to the P-TECH programme in Singapore and we are very excited that our client and partner, Citi, has agreed to support P-TECH’s network of industry partners. Together with the growing P-TECH ecosystem, we will help students better understand the connection between their coursework, field experiences, and the “real world” expectations of the workplace,” said Harriet Green, CEO and Chairman of IBM Asia Pacific.
“Citi Singapore is pleased to support IBM’s P-TECH model which is a timely and relevant initiative. The programme is aligned with Citi’s Pathways to Progress initiative, which aims to help young people build an entrepreneurial mindset, acquire leadership and workplace skills thereby empowering them with greater employability. We look forward to playing a role in equipping Singapore’s young talent with the skillsets for their future careers,” said Susan Kwek, Head of Operations and Technology, Citi Singapore.
IBM started the P-TECH model in 2011, in Brooklyn, New York. Since that time, the model has grown to more than 90 P-TECH schools across the US and other countries, with more than 450 businesses are participating in the model. Significant expansion continues in new and existing countries.
[1] *New collar jobs are roles in some of the technology industry’s fastest growing fields, from cybersecurity and cloud computing to cognitive business and digital design, which may not require a university degree, but that may need a specific skillset instead.`
