Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive & Director-General (Telecoms) and the 13 Infocomm Club Ambassadors who will be the voice of the students in 2007

Started a year ago as part of IDA's Student Infocomm Outreach programme under its Infocomm Manpower Development Roadmap, Infocomm Clubs were established as a co-curricular activity (CCA) to excite students about the possibilities that infocomm offers. The clubs aimed to expand students' creative and entrepreneurial spirit through the application of infocomm in school and society and to work with infocomm industry partners so that the private sector could play a proactive role in developing youths in schools.

With an original modest target of 30 schools and 900 members, there are currently more than 80 schools offering the CCA to 3,500 students comprising members from primary schools, secondary schools and junior colleges all across Singapore, who form the backbone of the Infocomm Club community.

Industry partners such as Adobe, Apple, Cisco, Nanyang Polytechnic, Novell, SingTel and Temasek Polytechnic are offering structured curricula in new infocomm growth areas – such as Animation, 3D Animation, Video Software, Web Publishing, Security and Networking Software, Mobile Content, Software and Applications, Security, Games Development and Digital Media – to students, some of whom have been placed in internships with these partners.

Mr Leong Keng Thai explaining how Wireless@SG will benefit Singapore

Companies like NEC Solutions Asia Pacific, who provide students with internship programs, say that they gain by having enthusiastic participants on hand who are eager to take a look at infocomm in action. "We show them that there is more to IT than just programming," said Ms Vivian Tay, Vice President of the Systems Integration Group at NEC. "They get to see things from our perspective and see the importance of skills like project management," she added.

Evohub's Director, Ng Chee Chiu, said that it is the opportunity to give something back to Singapore and help the development of youth that led the company to offer internships in the company. "It enables us to find new blood with an aptitude for IT. We can also nurture their enthusiasm for IT and help them shape their IT future," he said.

Students also welcomed the establishment of the Infocomm Clubs. Mr Chan Wei Jian, 15, a student from Raffles Institution, said, "Being in the Infocomm Club has provided me the necessary infocomm skills required in the future. In addition, by exchanging my infocomm knowledge with fellow club members, I am able to broaden my creative horizons beyond school work." As part of 13 Infocomm Club Ambassadors who act as the voice of students, Mr Chan will also facilitate more vibrant exchange of ideas amongst students, the industry and IDA.

Mr Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive & Director-General (Telecoms) of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), said, "For Singapore to remain competitive as an infocomm hub, we must cultivate the best and brightest minds to form the next generation of infocomm talent in Singapore. Infocomm Clubs is one of the ways to reach out to our youths and excite them with the possibilities that infocomm brings, and ultimately groom them to be our future infocomm leaders. A sustainable pipeline of talent will help Singapore achieve its iN2015 vision of a globally connected city, powered by infocomm."

More information on Infocomm Clubs is available at the IDA Website .