Alibaba Cloud teams up with SMU on training programme

Alibaba Cloud will run a series of training courses together with Singapore Management University (SMU) to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) plug into the digital economy.

The first of its kind outside China, the training programme, which aims to train more than 1,000 working professionals in Singapore, will be offered at the SMU Academy, the professional training arm of SMU, from March 2019.

The courses, such as big data analytics, cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), will be conducted by Alibaba Cloud experts who will use real-world case studies to provide actionable insights into applicable technologies and strategies for participants.

Industry-specific courses for the retail, finance, logistics and manufacturing sectors are also available for those who want to learn how cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain can be applied in their respective fields.

The courses will be funded by SkillsFuture Singapore, with 70% of the course fee subsidy for Singapore citizens and permanent residents, and 90% course fee subsidy for citizens aged 40 and above, and for SMEs that send their local employees for the training.

Leveraging its faculty expertise, SMU will also develop cases of successful technology adoption by local companies, which in turn will be used as teaching resources for the programme.

In addition, a mentorship scheme is being planned to help participating SMEs implement tech-enabled strategies for their businesses.

Leon Chen, country manager for Singapore and Indonesia at Alibaba Cloud, noted that the partnership with SMU will equip local businesses with the right tools and technology to propel Singapore towards its smart nation vision.

“We hope to provide actionable advice through a blend of success stories and our holistic approach to technology to help create a future-ready Singapore,” he added.

Alibaba’s training initiative in Singapore follows the heels of a similar programme spearheaded by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in May 2018.  

Also aimed at SMEs, the AWS programme trains participants on the basics of cloud computing, as well as applying IoT technologies to their businesses.

According to Synergy Research Group, AWS remained the clear public cloud leader in all four of the world’s major regions in terms of cloud infrastructure and platform service revenues during the third quarter of 2018.

While Alibaba Cloud was ranked fourth worldwide, it was the second biggest cloud provider in the Asia-Pacific region, thanks to its dominance in its home market China.