The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Shopee, the e-commerce arm of Sea, announced that they will join hands to nurture Singapore’s tech talent pipeline. SUTD will look to leverage Shopee’s industry expertise, regional presence, and ecosystem to create new opportunities for SUTD students.
The partnership will comprise two parts:
Shopee-SUTD Scholarship: To provide financially disadvantaged students with the opportunity to pursue an education in technology and design.
Shopee-SUTD Industry Collaboration Dialogues: To explore further opportunities for Shopee to broaden its support for SUTD’s capacity building initiatives for tech talent in Singapore.
(L-R) Prof Chong Tow Chong, President of SUTD and Gang Ye, Group Chief Operating Officer of Sea at the Shopee-SUTD Scholarship Gift Ceremony on 23 January, 2020.
The Shopee-SUTD scholarships will provide a total of four financially disadvantaged Singaporean students with full, four-year scholarships that will cover their tuition fees and study-related expenses. The scholarships will be awarded across four years, starting from the Academic Year 2020 intake. Each scholarship will be worth $15,000 annually and will not require recipients to undertake any service orbond requirements.
The Shopee-SUTD Industry Collaboration Dialogues will see Shopee and SUTD explore additional avenues for industry-university collaboration by combining Shopee’s industry know-how, regional presence, and ecosystem together with SUTD’s educational expertise.
These build on Shopee’s ongoing initiatives with SUTD, which include internship programmes and knowledge-sharing sessions, as well as project sponsorships – most recently, Shopee sponsored Team SUTD’s participation at the Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Challenge (AAVC) 2020 in Chumphon, Thailand.
Gang Ye, Group Chief Operating Officer of Sea, said, “Shopee is always looking for new ways to better the lives of people – whether it is by building communities, helping entrepreneurs get started, or creating valuable learning opportunities for our leaders of tomorrow. Together with SUTD, we want to do our part to shape the future of Singapore.”
Prof Chong Tow Chong, President of SUTD, said, “SUTD is grateful to donors like Shopee, who understand the important role education plays in lifting families out of financially difficult circumstances, and whose generosity help ensure that all deserving students with financial need have equal opportunities to pursue a high-quality education.”
Shopee’s partnership with SUTD is part of Sea’s “10 in 10” initiative, which aims to provide at least 10 million people across the region with the skills and training they need to succeed in the digital economy over the next decade.
