Google Serves SMU’s Undergraduate Students with Perks of Data Analytics Internship Programme

The Singapore Management University (SMU) has signed an agreement with Google Singapore to propose the SMU-Google Squared Data and Analytics Programme. It will be a great opportunity for SMU students looking forward to penetrating into the data and analytics sector.

The tie-up implies that the tech giant, for the first time, expanding its 2014-launched programme to undergrads of a local university.

Earlier, the programme was undertaken by fresh graduates in Singapore under TechSkills Accelerator initiative innate from the collaboration of Google and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

As for now, the programme will be available for only SMU undergraduates under which students will undergo a 6-month internship schedule at a Google partner firm and earn credits for their academics. Also, the students are allowed to return to campus for a day during term time to read up to two additional courses.

Google Singapore's country director Stephanie Davis said that due to the increasing trend of digital economy and demand from employers for Squared Data trainees, Google was looking to scale up the programme.

Further Ms. Davis added "The feedback was positive over the first four years of the programme, and over time it only strengthened. We were also learning of the successful careers that graduates were embarking upon an even greater demand from employers in the marketplace."

Currently, an initial batch consisting of 25 students is on the verge of completing a 12-week digital analytics technology course prerequisites. The qualification criteria include sessions with industry subject matter experts from Google and its partners. Last year the module was a full-time 6-weeks affair. Further, the students are likely to start the internship in May with Dentsu Aegis Network, Grab and Expedia.

A cluster of 50 students is likely to follow the trend later this year representing a symbolic acceleration in programme graduates.

Lily Kong, SMU President said that the combination of coursework electives and internships provides an ideal balance between theoretical and practical training.

Further, she quoted "Through the programme, our students will gain valuable experience and obtain a better understanding of the demands and opportunities in these industries."

Jordon Yuen is aged 28, an alumnus of Google Squared Data & Analytics programme and SMU said that data and analytics flourishing in every sector in the business environment which makes such data-driven skills quite valuable. Mr. Yuen asserted "You will be able to apply what you've learned across a very wide range of real-world situations and I feel it's important for business students to have some kind of data and analytics background." Mr. Yuen graduated from SMU in 2016 and currently working as an Analytics Manager in an advertising data agency Essence.

As Infocomm professionals are high in demand in Singapore, the country's economy presently employs about 2 lakh Infocomm and media executives. IMDA survey of 2017 projected the rise in demand of such professionals by 28,500 during the time span of 2018 to 2020.