​NTU Singapore and Facebook to Launch New Certificate Programmes to Develop Local Data Centre Talent

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Facebook, are collaborating to launch a pilot programme to develop local talent in the data centre sector in Singapore, a major data investment hub in the region.

The new nine-month pilot programme by the Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE@NTU) will offer four Specialist Certificates and one Graduate Certificate in the pilot phase, starting August 2020.

The four Specialist Certificate programmes are in design engineering, network engineering, site operations, and facility operations, while the Graduate Certificate programme is in international construction management. (Please see Annex A for details).

The courses – developed in conjunction with NTU College of Engineering – are aimed at training and upskilling local engineering talent to fill the increasing demand for specialists in the data centre industry. They will run alongside NTU undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum, both on campus and online. The pilot programme is open to the public and eligible for funding and mid-career enhanced subsidy provided by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

Professor Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost said, “As a leading research-intensive university, NTU has been playing its part in nurturing talent for the various emerging sectors of the economy, in collaboration with industry. We are very proud to contribute towards growing local talent in the data centre sector through our collaboration with Facebook. With NTU’s deep expertise in emerging technologies and Facebook’s data centre expertise, participants of our new certificate programmes will be able to benefit from a world-class education and stand in good stead in the future job market.”

Facebook broke ground on their first Asia-based data centre in Singapore in 2018, which will be operational in a few years’ time. As a collaborator of Facebook, CBRE Data Centre Solutions (DCS) – one of Singapore’s leading data centre facilities management provider – will offer data centre specific training and career path advice for successful applicants of the pilot initiative. Graduates from this pilot programme will be able to explore a career in the data centre sector or in other relevant engineering sectors.

Gavin Chua, Head of Infrastructure Engagement in Asia for Facebook said, “When we decided to build a data centre in Singapore, local talent was an important consideration for us. We are honoured to partner with NTU Singapore and CBRE to offer new certificate programmes to develop talent for the local data centre industry. We hope they will help students become immersed in learning how to build and operate efficient data centres.”

Andy Hobbs, Executive Director, Data Centre Solutions, CBRE APAC said, “CBRE congratulates NTU Singapore on the launch of its new certificate programmes. Singapore is a global hub for data centres services, and we are pleased to help develop local talent in this increasingly critical industry. CBRE is proud to deliver mission-critical facilities services and technology solutions for data centre owners, occupiers, and investors in Singapore and around the world – and strong local talent is the foundation of these services.”

More courses to be introduced subsequently

Following the August 2020 pilot, PaCE@NTU will progressively introduce more courses in the subsequent phases of the collaboration which can potentially involve other data centre industry players.

To meet the specific needs of business owners and working professionals in the sector, it will be consulting the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and industry stakeholders.

Kiren Kumar, Assistant Chief Executive, Digital Industry and Talent Group at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said, “IMDA would like to thank NTU Singapore and Facebook for this partnership to train and groom more local talent for the data centre segment of our ICT sector. Under the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative, Singaporeans can build their skills more confidently from the strong partnerships between industry leaders and academic institutions and equip themselves with industry-relevant skills for in-demand jobs in the digital economy.”

Associate Professor Shirley Lim, Executive Director of PaCE@NTU said, “The new certificate programmes by PaCE@NTU will bring valuable industrial perspectives to help upskill and train a critical talent pool for Singapore. This will support the country’s drive towards becoming a smart nation as it strengthens its role in data storage and related fields like data protection, intellectual property and data security.”

PaCE@NTU will also work closely with the university’s Alumni Affairs Office to identify suitable candidates from its database of engineering graduates and engage them about the new certificate programmes.

NTU alumni with industry experience and are looking to pivot their career into a growing industry can take up these programmes and future iterations to upskill themselves.

NTU Vice President (Alumni and International Affairs) Professor Jimmy Hsia said, “NTU has an alumni population of more than 247,000 graduates employed in various fields. Through the new certificate programmes launched by NTU and Facebook and more to be developed in future, we are confident in helping equip our alumni with the industry-relevant skills necessary for their continued success in this evolving economy.”

To register for the new certificate programmes offered by PaCE@NTU, please visit https://bit.ly/4s1gcDC.

Source: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore)