Sun launches regional Java Jive Challenge 2008
ConvergenceAsia staff
01/04/2008

Sun Microsystems has announced the launch of the regional Java Jive Challenge 2008 held at ITE College East. This competition is held regionally for the first time across Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Organised by Sun Microsystems, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the ITE-Sun Engineering IT Solutions Centre of Technology, the launch of this event kick-starts IDA’s 2008 series of the National Infocomm Competition (NIC).

A key feature of this year’s challenge is the opportunity for students to work with mentors from the healthcare industry where participants are offered an experiential and hands-on approach in developing and deploying solutions that can possibly be the next big thing.

In line with this concept, the theme for the Java Jive Regional Challenge 2008 is Keeping IT Real! The motivation behind the concept lies in the drive to encourage students to develop applications "outside ivory towers" to ensure that they remain grounded and relevant to local industry needs. The industry mentors chosen for this year's challenge are National Healthcare Group in Singapore, Multimedia Development Corporation in Malaysia, Thai Medical Informatics Association in Thailand.

One highlight of the 2008 challenge is how participants of this year's Java Jive will be able pit their skills and share applications with their peers on a regional level. The winning team of the local final will face off at the inaugural Regional Championship for the title of Java Jive Regional Champion that is held in Singapore during Sun Developer Days.

Since Sun launched Java Jive two years ago, Java Jive has seen active and innovative participation from 47 teams representing the universities, polytechnics and ITEs in Singapore. With their positive feedback, Sun Microsystems is expanding Java Jive to Malaysia and Thailand to nurture even greater student engagement, participation and sharing on Java technology innovation.

“We are very excited about bringing this programme throughout the region as we believe that the imagination of participating students and our industry partners’ commitment will be able to change the face of technology in the participation age,” said Ong Chee Beng, Managing Director, Sun Microsystems Singapore.

Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief Executive & Director-General (Telecoms), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore echoed this sentiment, “For Singapore's continued success in the digital future, we must build on our manpower pool to use infocomm to drive the economic and social transformation of the country. Through competitions, such as Java Jive, we are nurturing the young to embrace infocomm innovation, while testing their abilities to apply and realise the potential of infocomm in solving industry-related scenarios.”

“Through this, we are also helping to enhance the learning experience of our students, to become more industry-ready when they graduate," he added.

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