Meta launches new digital upskilling initiatives to bolster its 2022 programme

Software engineering and AR/VR creator academy part of new content line-up

(Left to right) Clara Koh, Head of Public Policy, Singapore and ASEAN at Meta, Damian Kim, Singapore Managing Director at Meta, Josephine Teo, Minister of Communications and Information, Aisyah Aman Aljunied, Upskill 2021 Graduate and Rajeshpal Singh, Director of Government Affairs & Strategic Partnerships at SGTECH (photo credit: MCI)

14 Jun 2022•3 min read

Meta today announced updates to its Upskill initiative as it bolsters its 2022 programme for Singapore, deepening its support and empowering Singaporeans for the digital jobs of today and the future, and furthering Singapore's Smart Nation ambition. The Upskill 2022 programme will welcome the Meta Immersive Learning Academy (MILA), an educational programme that will enable beginner and professional augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) creators to build their skills and capabilities. Singapore will be the first country to launch MILA in the region.

Upskill, which is Meta’s largest training initiative in Singapore, launched in 2021 and is targeted at students, job seekers, working professionals, academics and businesses. The expanded Upskill programming also introduces new Coursera certification programmes for software engineering, where Meta will offer 200 scholarships for Singaporean learners; an exclusive Meta Career Programs Job Board for Meta-certified professionals; and Boost 2.0 – a mentoring programme for Singapore SMEs, curated by Meta in partnership with SGTech. Upskill is supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and Digital Industry Singapore (DISG).

With the metaverse expected to add $1 trillion¹ to the APAC economy by 2031 and the need to increase Singapore’s digital workers to 1.2 million² – up 55% from current levels – by 2025, Meta’s investment in these new initiatives is the company’s contribution to ensure Singapore’s workforce has the necessary skills to participate in the next evolution of the internet. Singapore’s burgeoning creators ecosystem will also receive a boost from MILA, which will help spearhead the next generation of creators to earn the necessary certifications to build a career in AR and VR.

To mark the launch of the initiative, Meta hosted a private panel discussion on the topic of Upskilling and Digitalisation, with guest of honour Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information; Damian Kim, Singapore Managing Director at Meta; Rajeshpal Singh, Director of Govt Affairs at SGTech; Aisyah Aman Aljunied, Upskill 2021 Graduate; and moderator Clara Koh, Head of Public Policy for Singapore and ASEAN at Meta.

"We are extremely encouraged by the reception we've seen for Upskill since its 2021 launch, and in just over a year, our initiatives have benefited more than 3,600 individuals and 300 SMEs."

Damian Kim
Singapore Managing Director
Meta

"This is why we are proud to announce the four new upskilling initiatives today, as we continue to play an active role in supporting Singapore’s talent. To unlock the potential for our communities to use emerging technology to live, work and play, we need to invest in skills development and training. These new initiatives will further provide the Singapore community and local businesses not only with invaluable skills, but also enable them to find and create jobs and industries of the future.”

"As new opportunities such as the metaverse emerge, skills such as software engineering and AR/VR will only become more relevant. Meta’s Upskill initiative will equip Singaporeans and our SMEs with the necessary digital skills to adapt and compete in a fast changing world. We look forward to partnering with Meta and other leading tech players to position Singapore to capture these growth opportunities, and build a great tech ecosystem here."

Ang Chin Tah
Senior Vice President
DISG

"When choosing between digital marketing certifications, there were two things that were important to me. Firstly, having one from an established organisation, such as Meta, to give me an edge and help with job hunting. I also wanted a course that would allow for more hands-on learning, so that I would eventually be confident enough to run my own social media campaigns from start to finish."

Aisyah Aman Aljunied
Upskill 2021 Graduate

The four programmes will run in phases from June 2022. For more information, please visit https://upskillsg.splashthat.com/.

¹Analysis Group. (2022, May). The Potential Global Economic Impact of the Metaverse.

²AlphaBeta. (2021, February). Unlocking APAC’s digital potential: changing digital skill needs and policy approaches.

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