SINGAPORE: For the first time at Temasek Polytechnic, first-year students can take a course next year that combines artificial intelligence and data analytics.
The institute of higher learning (IHL) is looking to reshape how it trains future media professionals, as industry demand grows for graduates who are not just creative.
“We find that companies … what they want is not just content creators, but content creators who are AI-literate, who are data-savvy, so they know how to collect data and what to make use of the data to help them with their content strategy,” said Ms Long Li Yann, manager at the polytechnic’s School of Business.
The move is part of a broader trend across Singapore’s IHLs, where partnerships with industry players have risen by as much as 50 per cent compared with last year.
Schools are strengthening ties with media, technology and telecommunications organisations to help students keep pace with rapid changes driven by technology and AI.
At Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), industry-linked classes have become a core part of the curriculum.
The school has recorded a 25 per cent increase in collaborations over the past year, working with partners including media companies and telecommunications firms.
These partnerships allow students to experiment with emerging formats such as micro-dramas and filmmaking.
Mr Leslie Tan, director of NP’s School of Film and Media Studies, said the fast-evolving nature of the media industry makes adaptability essential.
“How we do that is by involving the industry quite heavily in our curriculum, because industry is at the forefront of this change. The more we and our students are exposed to industry, the more that can inform us about what direction it's going,” he added.
“Sometimes, it's about not just training students for a job but giving them the skill set so that they can do things that didn't exist yesterday.”
For instance, instead of teaching skills like public relations and user experience design in different classes like a traditional media school, NP students work on real-world projects with real client briefs, Mr Tan said.
Universities are also expanding their industry links.
At Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media, both local and global partnerships have been ramped up by 50 per cent since 2024.
These collaborations give students more opportunities in areas such as tech, game design and social media.
While AI and digital tools form part of the curriculum, the school said it ensures the arts remain centre stage.
“The artistic foundation remains central … because if you don't have this foundation, you would later on really struggle to identify the good solutions between many a tool like generative AI would offer, and you would be quite lost,” said Professor Hans-Martin Rall, chair of NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media.
LASALLE College of the Arts is taking a similar approach, embracing innovation while staying rooted in creative fundamentals.
Immersive technologies and new media have been integrated into its courses since 2023.
The college is now looking to add components such as analytics and revenue aggregation, while ensuring students remain anchored in creativity and storytelling.
Dr Venka Purushothaman, deputy president and provost at LASALLE, said storytelling remains central regardless of the platform.
"In any form of story - whether you tell a new story, you tell a documentary, whether you're going to do a TikTok video - stories matter. And over time, people are going to come back and say: ‘What kind of stories are we telling?’” he noted.
“Not only stories, but stories plus creativity (power) economies. Because when they (power) economies, they inspire communities to follow through into the next generation.”
Dr Venka added that the focus is on preparing students to be lifelong learners as the definition of core skills continues to evolve.
“But what core skills mean today could be very different tomorrow, so we want to make sure that our students remain continuous learners in the industry that they go to, so that they are upskilling themselves, reskilling themselves, and becoming purposeful to content creation and good storytelling,” he said.
To strengthen these efforts, LASALLE recently entered a three-year partnership with Mediacorp.
The collaboration will see students working on projects in areas such as documentaries and design, giving them hands-on experience alongside their academic training.
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The institute of higher learning (IHL) is looking to reshape how it trains future media professionals, as industry demand grows for graduates who are not just creative.
“We find that companies … what they want is not just content creators, but content creators who are AI-literate, who are data-savvy, so they know how to collect data and what to make use of the data to help them with their content strategy,” said Ms Long Li Yann, manager at the polytechnic’s School of Business.
The move is part of a broader trend across Singapore’s IHLs, where partnerships with industry players have risen by as much as 50 per cent compared with last year.
Schools are strengthening ties with media, technology and telecommunications organisations to help students keep pace with rapid changes driven by technology and AI.
LINKS WITH INDUSTRY
At Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), industry-linked classes have become a core part of the curriculum.
The school has recorded a 25 per cent increase in collaborations over the past year, working with partners including media companies and telecommunications firms.
These partnerships allow students to experiment with emerging formats such as micro-dramas and filmmaking.
Mr Leslie Tan, director of NP’s School of Film and Media Studies, said the fast-evolving nature of the media industry makes adaptability essential.
“How we do that is by involving the industry quite heavily in our curriculum, because industry is at the forefront of this change. The more we and our students are exposed to industry, the more that can inform us about what direction it's going,” he added.
“Sometimes, it's about not just training students for a job but giving them the skill set so that they can do things that didn't exist yesterday.”
For instance, instead of teaching skills like public relations and user experience design in different classes like a traditional media school, NP students work on real-world projects with real client briefs, Mr Tan said.
Universities are also expanding their industry links.
At Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media, both local and global partnerships have been ramped up by 50 per cent since 2024.
These collaborations give students more opportunities in areas such as tech, game design and social media.
While AI and digital tools form part of the curriculum, the school said it ensures the arts remain centre stage.
“The artistic foundation remains central … because if you don't have this foundation, you would later on really struggle to identify the good solutions between many a tool like generative AI would offer, and you would be quite lost,” said Professor Hans-Martin Rall, chair of NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media.
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IMMERSIVE TECH, NEW MEDIA
LASALLE College of the Arts is taking a similar approach, embracing innovation while staying rooted in creative fundamentals.
Immersive technologies and new media have been integrated into its courses since 2023.
The college is now looking to add components such as analytics and revenue aggregation, while ensuring students remain anchored in creativity and storytelling.
Dr Venka Purushothaman, deputy president and provost at LASALLE, said storytelling remains central regardless of the platform.
"In any form of story - whether you tell a new story, you tell a documentary, whether you're going to do a TikTok video - stories matter. And over time, people are going to come back and say: ‘What kind of stories are we telling?’” he noted.
“Not only stories, but stories plus creativity (power) economies. Because when they (power) economies, they inspire communities to follow through into the next generation.”
Dr Venka added that the focus is on preparing students to be lifelong learners as the definition of core skills continues to evolve.
“But what core skills mean today could be very different tomorrow, so we want to make sure that our students remain continuous learners in the industry that they go to, so that they are upskilling themselves, reskilling themselves, and becoming purposeful to content creation and good storytelling,” he said.
To strengthen these efforts, LASALLE recently entered a three-year partnership with Mediacorp.
The collaboration will see students working on projects in areas such as documentaries and design, giving them hands-on experience alongside their academic training.
Continue reading...