As Singapore embarks on its Smart Nation drive, the Infocomm Development Agency (IDA) also started a two-year Technology Associate Programme in 2014 to train fresh graduates to apply technology to real public policy challenges. Ten candidates were selected from about 100 applicants last year for its first intake. "There are plans to expand the average cohort size, based on the increasing demand for such talent," said an IDA spokesman.
SMU School of Information Systems Alumnus El-malique Mohamed Ghazali who is currently a software developer with IDA, has learnt more about the things that could make or break a mobile application project from the the technology associate training. He said: "I was able to work on a technical project but also learn about the business side of it. It was helpful to have a mentor in the programme because I could learn about the paths that he had taken in his career in the IT industry; it's something very valuable for a fresh graduate like me."