Singapore Polytechnic appointed new infocomm training centre
ConvergenceAsia staff
10/06/2009

Singapore Polytechnic (SP) has been appointed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) as a Continuing Education Training (CET) Centre for the Infocomm Sector.

The new SP CET Centre will provide working infocomm professionals the opportunity to upgrade their skills in IT services, infocomm security, network and communications, and telecommunications under the National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF) of the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) System. A total of 11 courses covering areas like computer networking, web applications development, systems security, business process re-engineering and cellular networking, will be offered.

A ground breaking addition to the NICF courses is the inclusion of Linux training, designed in collaboration with Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions. This WDA-accredited entry-level course will train infocomm workers to build, configure and test IT infrastructure running the Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system.

Upon completion of the Certificate of Performance in Enterprise Linux Administration (COPELA) course, graduates will receive three WSQ Statements of Attainment (SOAs) and will also have the option to take the Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) examination. The RHCT certification is an internationally-recognised standard of competency in the Linux operating system.

According to market research, in three years’ time, 80 per cent of all commercial software will include elements of open source technology. "Enterprises are already adopting open source software more than ever before as they look to carve out business costs and extract greater value from their IT investments,” said Gery Messer, President of Red Hat Asia Pacific/Japan.

The COPELA course is also offered at SP as a six-month Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for System Administrators, equipping 30 fresh graduates, infocomm professionals and mid-career switchers with the expertise needed to embark on new careers as open source System Administrators. Funded under the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR), trainees enjoy a 90 per cent course fee subsidy and a monthly stipend of up to $1,600.

In addition to the COPELA course, SP and Red Hat also provide open source training to full-time SP students at the Open Source Collaboration Centre. The centre was set up jointly by SP and Red Hat in 2008 to deliver Linux training.

On the tie-up with Red Hat, SP Principal Tan Hang Cheong says “With the demand for CET increasing at an accelerated pace, SP realises that we cannot rely solely on internal resources to carry out our missions. It is incumbent on us to constantly seek strategic partners to forge alliances or synergy in collaboration. This will ensure our CET centres continue to provide relevant and quality programmes to equip adult learners with skills and knowledge to enhance their employability.”

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