Insights on Temus

By Vishakha Choudhary

The Experience+ series is a series of online learning journeys and industry visits, sponsored by Workforce Singapore, which gives students the chance to virtually visit workplaces, speak directly with working professionals, and learn more about the organisations they aspire to join.

With Experience+: Temus, Advisory hopes to help students better understand opportunities within the wider technological services industry and to find out more about a career in Temus through experiencing its workplace and speaking to the professionals behind this global company. We were privileged to have heard from:

• Alex Leong, Managing Director (Technology), Temus
• Melody Byrd, Coach and Manager, UST Global
• Muhammad Ridzuan, HR Specialist, Temus
• Olwyn Deputron, Director, Step IT Up, UST Global
• Toh Jie Hao, Software Engineer, Temus

Our selected participants included students from various education levels and institutions with a common curiosity in a career in Temus.

Below are some key points shared during the session:

How does Temus bring its vision of unlocking economic and societal value to life?

Temus unlocks economic and societal value through holistic transformation, which involves catalysing the strengths and potential of people, processes, technology, and long-term partnerships with our customers. We are guided by a proprietary blueprint called ‘Vision to Value’, which comprises of setting forth a vision that is centred on value, articulating strategy, designing, and validating solutions, building, testing and implementing ‘minimum viable products’ as agile teams do, and continuously improving on our operating systems with real-time feedback loops.

What are some notable trends that are paving the way for digital transformation and the way we live?

Among the many existing technology trends, there are five key trends around the globe, including the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) which is fuelled by growth in 5G and the internet of things (IOT). The second trend is digitalisation which consists of datafication and virtualisation. Governance and accountability make up the third trend as the technology usage becomes more mainstream. The fourth trend is the push towards sustainability, especially with governments and companies around the world pushing for more responsible usage of resources. ‘Everything as a Service’ is the final key trend which focuses on being local, which has been in existence through brands like Uber in the past five to seven years.

What is the ‘Step IT Up’ programme about and what is its societal impact around the world?

The goal of Step IT Up is to empower people through technology by providing them an opportunity to join the digital workforce. All the candidates scouted for this programme in Singapore do not have a technological background. They come with the right learning agility, motivation, and a passion to excel and grow with Temus.

The programme typically consists of a bootcamp to equip the candidates with technological skills and a final capstone project that includes real world projects allowing participants to experience and solve real technology problems. The programme has been launched in Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, United States, among some markets. Temus is proud to bring Step IT Up to Singapore and will commence with our first cohort in end-November.

Over 1000 candidates globally have already graduated from the programme with successful tech careers. The programme is not limited to fresh graduates; it is open as well to mid-career professionals looking for a change and are seeking to transform Singapore’s digital future.

How is working at Temus like?

Temus employees are united in a common purpose – to shape the digital futures of Singapore and beyond, for the better. In just 19 months, we’ve grown to a ~200 strong workforce, and are set to expand by five-fold, in tandem with the digital needs and aspirations of our customers. Privileged to be partnering with some of Singapore’s most future-forward government agencies and enterprises, Temus talents have the opportunity to be strategic partners with some of the best customer teams to resolve challenges and pursue transformative opportunities that unlock both economic and societal value for their stakeholders.

How much technological syllabi is covered in the Step IT Up x Temus programme?

The programme covers a variety of content, from soft skills to what is required to be successful in the role that is specified for the candidate. These include software technology, programming languages like Java and Python, or even working in group projects and utilising lab spaces to deliver client projects. The programme may include front-end tech knowledge or back-end knowledge based on the needs of the client in that specific variation.

What qualities are required to be an eligible candidate for the Step IT Up x Temus programme?

Passion, first and foremost, is the attribute the team looks out for while recruiting for the programme. Leadership, teamwork, and communication play an equally important role during the selection of candidates. As the final submission is a group project, teamwork, curiosity, and conflict management are key to successful participation in the programme.

When is the first run of the programme? What type of content will be covered in the programme?

The first run of the programme in Singapore is slated to be in end-November 2022. .Net is the software framework that will form part of the programme syllabus. This is to create building blocks covering a plethora of subjects that can be leveraged as transferrable skills to pursue a career in technology.

What is the track record of the Step IT Up programme like?

Since its inception in 2014, the programme saw around 87% of successful graduates securing jobs in leading companies around the globe and around 92% of them staying in those roles for two years or more.

What is the selection process for the Step IT Up programme?

The programme is open to everyone – both fresh graduates and professionals alike, looking to switch their career paths and join Singapore’s digital workforce. The selection process starts with an Online Assessment test consisting of three components – language, cognitive and analytical – to determine the eligibility of the applicants to partake in an accelerated training programme, followed by the interview day. The interview day consists of group roundtable discussions and personal interview. The application for the programme closed on 24th October with the interviews that have commenced on 27th October. The programme starts on 28th November.

What is the programme overview of the Step IT Up programme?

Starting its first run in end-November 2022, the programme spans over four months, 40 hours a week, of full-time classroom training by subject experts at Temus’ office in Singapore. Concluding the training would be a group capstone project, wherein upon successful completion, graduates may be offered full time employment with Temus or be deployed on client projects, working alongside the Temus technology team.

What are the benefits for a candidate joining the Step IT Up programme?

The programme acts as a doorway to the field of digital technology, providing opportunities to the successful candidate to work at Temus, and with leading companies in the region through customer engagements. The programme is tailored and curated for people with non-tech backgrounds by providing them invaluable knowledge and support, thus setting them up for success. The programme is fully sponsored by Temus (to the tune of a degree programme). Furthermore, candidates receive a monthly stipend of around $3,000 to enable them to attend the programme with the assurance of financial support. Ultimately, the successful completion of the programme leads to the participant securing a full-time job with Temus and the chance to transform our digital future – and theirs.