SINGAPORE – Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and DDB Worldwide have unveiled a satellite office of Equator to groom the next generation of creative technologists in Singapore. Equator is DDB Worldwide’s first-ever global centre of excellence for technology and innovation to pioneer digital transformation marketing solutions. TP students will now benefit from working alongside top creative technologists and digital strategists by creating prototype concepts for commercial and community needs. Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Education & Ministry of Trade and Industry, witnessed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between TP and DDB Worldwide to seal the long-term collaboration.
Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), Equator provides end-to-end technology solutions for DDB’s clients worldwide. Equator’s satellite office at TP will provide a platform for authentic, practice-based learning, and foster multidisciplinary practices among the students as they work with Equator’s staff to create ideas and solutions to meet commercial and community needs.
A diverse pool of students from the School of Informatics & IT, School of Design, School of Engineering, and School of Business will serve their internships at the on-campus agency. They will go through a dynamic learning programme, interact with real clients and be mentored by some of Equator’s 50 creative technologists. These include TP alumni Mr Jeff Cheong, President of Tribal Worldwide Asia and Head of Tribal Worldwide Singapore, and Ms Leslie Goh, Managing Partner and Head of Operations at Tribal Worldwide.
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.”
Equator’s satellite office at TP will provide a learning environment and commercial exposure to create pre-demand works using latest technologies, in domains such as enterprise technology, user experience, m-commerce and the Internet of Things.
Mr Peter Lam, Principal & CEO at TP said, “Temasek Polytechnic welcomes this first-of-its-kind collaboration between DDB Worldwide and a tertiary institution in Singapore. It will give our students valuable opportunities for authentic learning as they work in multi-disciplinary teams, on real-life projects, with leading practitioners from the creative industry, right here on our campus. Having access to our 15,000 campus community will also benefit all parties involved, as it can be tapped on to test-bed new ideas and concepts.”
Ms Low Yen Ling, who witnessed the MOU signing, 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.”
Equator’s very first project that is co-created with TP students is currently in progress. Students, under the mentorship and guidance of DDB technologists, are working on a community project called Personal Response for Emergency Situations (P.R.E.S.) – a mobile application that allows users to send one-touch distress signals to their loved ones and relevant authorities, alerting them to possible emergencies such as a terrorist attack or a disaster.
This partnership will also see DDB offering staff and student attachment opportunities in Singapore and, where possible, providing exposure to regional and global offices within the DDB network through virtual office discussions. Additionally, DDB will also sponsor special graduation prizes for TP students.
