Banking and Tech Partners Collaborate to Offer Training for Better Job Matching

(Left to right) Tech Talent Assembly President Ng Tiong Gee, Banking and Financial Services Union President Annie Lee, OCBC Bank Head of Group Operations and Technology Praveen Raina, and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay at the partnership signing ceremony.

By Shukry Rashid

The Banking and Financial Services Union (BFSU) inked a partnership on 2 March 2023 with OCBC Bank and Tech Talent Assembly (TTAB) to provide a new training programme for info-communications and technology (ICT) professionals.

The programme aims to provide these professionals with better employment outcomes in the banking industry. It targets job seekers and NTUC union members with general technology training backgrounds.

For a start, about 50 to 100 workers are expected to complete this programme. Those who meet the training can gain employment at OCBC Bank.

The partnership aligns with the Government’s goal to strengthen the training and placement ecosystem with the Jobs-Skills Integrator initiative announced during the Budget 2023. 

The partnership was inked at the OCBC Campus during the inaugural OCBC RED Conference. It was witnessed by NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay.

Mr Tay said: “The Labour Movement remains steadfast in our commitment to protect and enhance jobs and the livelihoods of our workers.

“This partnership marks a step further to improve the work prospects, wages and welfare of ICT workers and even mid-career switchers by ensuring they have the necessary skillset and knowledge to future-proof their careers and achieve a progressive career growth.”

Training Curriculum

The training curriculum in the programme focuses on various technology modules such as DevOps, full stack development, data engineering and blockchain.

These modules are curated to land a technology job in the banking industry. It will also provide participants with a better understanding of the banking industry and the application of the technologies.

OCBC Bank Head of Group Operations and Technology Praveen Raina said: “Jobs today may not have existed ten years ago.

“At the speed at which technology disrupts, and given that technology skills are always evolving, close collaboration between the industry and the training providers helps enhance the matching of skills and job requirements, leading to better outcomes for both the employers and the employees.”

Factors Impacting ICT Jobs

NTUC, TTAB and NTUC LearningHub also released a report examining several key factors impacting ICT workers in Singapore on the same day.

The factors include emerging global and local trends, employment landscape and job opportunities, and future skills required of ICT Professionals over the next three years.

The report, ‘Trends, Jobs and Skills for ICT Professionals’, was based on an extensive review of relevant studies and insights from in-depth focus group discussions and surveys in consultation with close to 600 ICT executives and professionals in Singapore.

The research was also supported by IT Management Association and the Singapore Computer Society.

The report proposed 10 recommendations to help Singaporeans thrive in ICT jobs:

1. Tap on the resources and expertise of the veteran ICT Professionals,
2. Identify higher-value tech job roles for local mid-careerists,
3. Leverage company training outside of organisations,
4. Recognition of skills acquired through non-formal and informal learning, including micro-credentials,
5. Using a consortium approach to enable SMEs to scale up training for ICT professionals,
6. Promote the formation of Special Interest Groups that will allow the exchange of skills and knowledge,
7. Skills-based Approach to Hiring and Developing Talent,
8. Apprenticeship-by Degrees,
9. Facilitate the development of the overseas experience of ICT professionals.
10. Protection of remote ICT professionals

The partnership between BFSU, OCBC Bank and TTAB addressed two of the 10 recommendations (4 and 7).