S$200,000 center prepares ITE students for future job markets

Singapore - The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will collaborate with IBM to set up ITE-IBM Technology Training Centre (IITTC), a move that will benefit 180 ITE students from the IT and Info-Comms Technology courses over the next three years.

The Center will play a key role in providing training and hands-on to students in UNIX and open computing platforms. In addition to classroom exposure, ten students will be selected to participate in an eight-week internship programme with IBM or IBM’s business partners each year. ITE staff and students may also get the opportunities to work on industrial proofs-of-concepts projects with IBM's customers and partners at the Centre. 

The Joint Industry Certificate in AIX Jumpstart & Virtualisation endorsed by IBM, which students will be awarded on top of their ITE certification upon successful completion of the programme, will put ITE students at an advantage among their peers when vying for jobs subsequently, says ITE.

“Given our dynamic and fast-paced IT industry, it is essential for us to collaborate with international players like IBM to ensure that our students remain competitive and relevant for this industry”, Dr Yek Tiew Ming, principal of ITE College West says.

The UNIX segment today makes up about one third of the overall server market. According to IDC, IBM is the leading provider of UNIX solutions and has been number one for 10 quarters in a row.  IDC also forecasts this market will continue to grow, with combined UNIX and Linux server spending to increase US$1.2 billion between 2007 and 2011, to a total opportunity of $27.4 billion in 2011, 45 percent of all projected customer spend.

“The explosive adoption rates of open computing platforms and virtualisation imply the growing demand for skilled professionals in this field,” says Teresa Lim, managing director, IBM Singapore. “The ITE-IBM Technology Training Centre and its programme attempt to bridge the gap and bring new relevant coursework to ITE students.”