Singapore Management University (SMU) and Google Singapore entered into an agreement to offer the SMU-Google Squared Data & Analytics Programme (‘SMU-Google Squared Programme’) to SMU’s undergraduate students. This partnership marks the first time that Google is extending its Google Squared Data & Analytics Programme to the undergraduates of a local university.

The partnership was celebrated by SMU President Professor Lily Kong and Stephanie Davis, Country Director of Google Singapore at a special event organized to commemorate this partnership today. Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive Officer of Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), was the Guest-of-Honour at the event. 

Professor Lily Kong, President of SMU and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences stated, “SMU is delighted to partner with Google to provide experiential learning to our students through the SMU-Google Squared Programme. Not only will our students be able to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world problems during their internships with Google’s partner companies which hail from different industries, they will also gain valuable experience and obtain a better understanding of the demands and opportunities in the media profession. We believe that the programme will prepare our students to go on and create impact for these industries and the economy.” 

With rapid digitization and the ongoing efforts to transform Singapore through technology, there is a strong demand in the public and private sectors for graduates with sound knowledge and training in analytics. This SMU-Google Squared Programme aims to leverage this demand and equip SMU undergraduates with industry-ready data analytics skills to contribute to the knowledge economy and increase the availability of data analytics talent for the ecosystem. 

Stephanie Davis, Country Director of Google Singapore said, “In today’s digital-first economy, data-driven insights are critical to helping businesses stay ahead of their competition. We’ve seen SMU Classification: Restricted great success across the four years working with IMDA on the Squared Data and Analytics programme to give more than 90 graduates a head start in this fast-growing field, and it is heartening to hear how they are now utilizing the skills in their respective companies to drive data-driven innovation. We are pleased to extend our collaboration with SMU and play a part in preparing Singaporean undergraduates as they enter the workforce and take on a key role in transforming industries.”

The programme builds on the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) company-led training collaboration initiated in 2014 between Google and IMDA to develop and train Singapore graduate talent for impactful careers in media agencies or data divisions of a range of industry sectors. The inaugural batch of the programme has some 25 students with about 50 students expected to be enrolled in the second run.

In addition, this collaboration with Google will provide SMU students with the opportunity to undergo a six-month extended internship programme at a Google partner company in the media industry and earn credit in the process. The six-month internship with a Google partner company will offer students with opportunities to analyze and propose a possible solution for an industry-specific problem, demonstrate synthesis of information, apply their domain knowledge, and understand the industry contexts and constraints. 

The course is an example of one of the many ways in which Singapore is investing in the future of its workforce. Last month, the Government of Singapore has earmarked S$72 Mn until 2020 to augment workforce development and training in the built environment sector until 2020.