DDB Worldwide partners with Singapore polytechnic to ‘groom the next generation of creative technologists’
DDB Worldwide is launching a satellite office for Equator, the agency’s first-ever global centre of excellence for technology and innovation, alongside Temasek Polytechnic.
DDB launches Equator in Singapore
The aim of the new business is to pioneer digital transformation marketing solutions, as well as train up a new generation of staff for the agency, who will be specifically skilled toward creative technology.
Ms Low Yen Ling, parliamentary secretary for Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade and Industry, witnessed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between TP and DDB Worldwide.
She said: The setting up of Equator at TP is a great opportunity for our students aspiring to be creative technologists. This will enable students to get hands-on experience in creating concepts to meet commercial and community needs. It is also very encouraging that industry partners value collaboration with our tertiary institutions. Such partnerships support our Smart Nation and SkillsFuture efforts in equipping our workforce with the relevant skills and a competitive edge in various areas of specialisation, and we welcome more partners to join us onboard.”
The students at Equator will work on commercial and community projects and will work alongside creative technologists and digital strategists to prototype concepts.
The first project for Equator is a community project in the shape of a mobile app that allows users to send distress signals to loved ones or authorities during emergency situations like terrorist attacks, called Personal Response for Emergency Situations (P.R.E.S.).
David Tang, chief executive officer of DDB Asia, said: “Beyond commercial innovation, DDB Worldwide hopes to invest in and groom the next generation of creative technologists in Singapore. With Equator, we hope to give students a hands-on opportunity to work on ‘live’ projects with the professionals. We are thrilled to have TP students working alongside our staff as we strive to make Singapore a global hub for tech innovation.”
The project has been supported by the Singapore government via The Economic Development Board (EDB), which has been lending support to the industry via a range of partnerships with businesses. It recently co-launched a Dentsu R&D hub in Singapore and partnered with Google on a new programmatic skills programme.