Fueling Singapore's post-pandemic growth and innovation

To support Singapore’s growth ambitions towards digitalization, today we’re delighted to announce a comprehensive suite of initiatives developed as part of a year-long partnership with the Government of Singapore. It will mark the first time we collaborate, to cover three key pillars:

- Enhancing and upskilling Singapore’s workforce; 

- Promoting and strengthening Internet safety and digital literacy among Singaporeans; an

- Supporting the Government’s COVID-19 communications on Twitter.

The partnership marks our latest commitment to Singapore, home to our Asia Pacific headquarters since 2015 and more recently, our very first APAC Engineering Center since February 2020.

It’s testament to the strength of talent we see in Singapore - led by home-grown talent, Silvanus Lee (@silvanus_lee), our APAC Engineering Centre has expanded rapidly towards our 65 technical talent hiring goal, with local teams of engineers and data scientists working directly on Twitter’s core product experience and global expansion. 

Upskilling Singapore’s Workforce

To build upon Singapore’s existing technical competencies and the nation state’s growing demand for a skilled digital workforce, we are working with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), as well as a number of government agencies, to develop a series of virtual immersion programs to introduce current students, recent graduates and mid-career individuals to a range of digital skills and career opportunities in technology.

While Singapore has experienced digital acceleration since the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a need to continue closing the digital divide that has widened in many communities over the past year.  To that end, we are offering all Singaporeans free access to Twitter Flight School, a comprehensive digital marketing education program which equips everyone - regardless of background - with “Twitter marketing essentials” from insights analysis, creative design to digital campaign management. 

The program has been soft launched in Q2 2021 via six IHLs and three government agencies in Singapore, and we are committed to offering an unlimited number of slots in partnership with IHLs and relevant institutions for students and professionals wanting to boost their digital competitiveness. 

Beyond the public education program, we are also launching specific career development opportunities tailored to women and mid-career professionals looking to break into the technology sector. These include the following two programs over the coming months:

#DevelopHER: a two-day virtual immersion program introducing around 40 female computer science or engineering students to our engineering work in the region. Participants will be divided into small groups to work on coding challenges, attend technical workshops and mentorship sessions with Twitter’s engineers. 

Twitter Career Roadshow: held in tandem with the SkillsFuture Month, we will invite 200 individuals to connect directly with our employees to network and seek technical advice on how to transition into the technology sector. The program is co-designed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to address the jobs and skills needs shared by participants, and share information on the relevant SkillsFuture initiatives and support that they can tap on.

Improving Digital Literacy and Internet Safety

With the prevalence of misinformation online, as well as the permeation of digital across all aspects of life, we have been working with the Singapore Government and civil society stakeholders to promote literacy and Internet safety about issues such as mental health and combating violent extremism. As of June 2021, nearly 7,000 Singaporean youths have learned about digital literacy best practices and online safety tips via our partnerships with IHLs and local non-profit organizations.

We are also committed to supporting the Infocomm Media Development Authority(@IMDAsg)’s Digital for Life movement via informational toolkits and community outreach sessions to share digital literacy best practices and safety tips for people on Twitter. 

Digital literacy is a core component of a healthy and safe public conversation and is a core commitment of our philanthropic work at Twitter. We are committed to redoubling our efforts to promote responsible digital citizenship, including via this partnership with the Singapore Government. These efforts are aligned with Twitter’s commitment to a safe, secure and #OpenInternet.

Promoting COVID-19 Updates on Twitter 

We are committed to supporting the Government in ensuring Singaporeans have easy access to accurate and timely COVID-19 updates from credible sources, including key government agencies, via our COVID-19 live event page and notification prompt. 

To drive awareness and take-up of the COVID-19 vaccination, we have extended our #vaccinated✌️ emoji to the #IGotMyShotSG✌️ hashtag, and supported the Ministry of Communications and Information (@SingaporeMCI) with a pro bono grant to promote their latest updates on the vaccination program.

To learn more or sign up for any upcoming events, please visit: https://twitterxgovsg2021.splashthat.com/ and don’t forget to follow us @TwitterSG for the latest updates.