Pilot Batch of Apprentices Announced for SGInnovate’s Inaugural Summation Programme

Apprentices from the pilot batch of SGInnovate Summation Programme Top left to right: Chi Thanh Lam, Jinna Qian, Daniel Sebastian Yee Bottom left to right: Gabriel Wong Shi Xuan, Alex Fong Jie Wen, Liang Wei Tan

16 May 2018, Singapore: SGInnovate welcomed the pilot batch of seven apprentices today under the inaugural SGInnovate Summation Programme, as they embark on their deep technology learning journey by working with technology-intensive companies as part of their internship experience. 

The curated pool of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) disciplines from local and overseas Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will have the opportunity to experience first-hand what it feels like to work in deep technology-focused companies. Apart from an attractive award of up to S$2000 a month (on top of a minimum monthly stipend of S$1000), apprentices will be working on challenging projects focusing on technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning. They will be working under the mentorship of experienced software and engineering professionals over three to twelve months. 

“The SGInnovate Summation Programme is a significant milestone for us as the close working relationship between students from STEM disciplines and the industry adds tangible value to the Human Capital aspect of our Deep Tech Nexus strategy,” said Juliana Lim, Head of Talent Networking, SGInnovate. “We are excited for the apprentices as they will work closely with some of the brightest and most ambitious minds in the deep tech space to gain invaluable experience that, we hope will help them develop into promising deep tech talents themselves.”

Gabriel Wong, an apprentice from the pilot batch of the SGInnovate Summation Programme 

“I have always had a keen interest in exploring the fields of artificial intelligence, and computer vision in particular and SGInnovate has provided me with the valuable opportunity to connect with institutions that are experts in these fields in Singapore. Through the Summation programme, I hope to improve my knowledge in this domain, and learn how I might apply my expertise to create real-world impacts,” said Gabriel Wong, an apprentice from the Singapore University of Technology and Design who will be working with Taiger to create an advanced image processing framework through deep learning methodologies."

In TAIGER, we engineer artificial intelligence to solve real problems that matter to the clients most, and the journey can get quite challenging. The SGInnovate Summation Programme offers TAIGER an opportunity to seek talented interns who are trained in deep technology and possess the energy and perspective to work on these business-critical projects. The Summation Programme provides an attractive remuneration that allows them to focus fully on the internship, and at the same time, acts as a wave maker for the interns and deep tech companies to forge a deep-tech solution together,” said Sinuhé Arroyo, CEO and Founder, TAIGER. 

“We are excited to partner SGInnovate in this programme to nurture and develop deep-tech talents in Singapore. We believe that this is a significant initiative in drawing young talents to the deep-tech space and an important step towards developing their interest in the industry,” said Li Guangda, CTO and Co-Founder, ViSenze. “Through ViSenze's participation, we hope to grow the AI talent pool in Singapore, as well as the potential talent pipeline for our companies.”

The companies participating in the pilot programme are Nugit, Taiger, V-Key, and ViSenze.

Academic observer Associate Professor Ng Teck Khim, Head of Research, SSI@NUS added, “Startups offer internship opportunities for students to experience the unique challenges faced in the early stages of businesses. The remuneration, however, is usually a problem because start-ups typically do not have the funds to pay talented interns sufficiently. The Summation Programme is, in my opinion, very refreshing as it will bridge this gap effectively. It is a catalyst to bring talented students and deep tech startups together!” 

SGInnovate also announced that companies and students interested to be part of the next round of the Summation Programme can submit their applications at https://www.sginnovate.com/apprenticeship/talent, and at least 10 companies, along with 50 students, will be selected for the second batch of the SGInnovate Summation Programme. For more details, please refer to Appendix A. 

About SGInnovate 

At SGInnovate, we believe that Singapore has all the resources and capabilities needed to tackle ‘hard problems' that matter to people around the world. As part of our Deep Tech Nexus Strategy, we are focused on adding tangible value to the Singapore deep tech startup ecosystem in two key areas – development of Human Capital and deployment of Investment Capital. With the support of our partners and co-investors, we back deeply technical founders through equity-based investments, access to talent, and support in building customer traction. Our efforts are prioritised around transformational technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and MedTech, which represent impactful and scalable answers to global challenges. SGInnovate is a private-limited company wholly owned by the Singapore Government. 

For more information, please visit www.sginnovate.com

Media contacts

Grace Chiang 
SGInnovate 
[email protected] 

Ho Chin Ann 
IN.FOM (Partnering agency of SGInnovate) 
[email protected] 

Appendix
PDF: Appendix A