Student Volunteer & Recognition Programme Awards Ceremony 2020

The second edition of the Student Volunteer & Recognition Programme (SVRP) Awards Ceremony was held on 24 March 2021 to recognise student volunteers for their contributions to the cybersecurity community. In 2020, close to 100 student volunteers in the SVRP contributed more than 9,000 hours of volunteering to the cybersecurity community.

Dr. Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and Health, graced the event. A total of 64 Gold, Silver and Bronze awards were given to the student volunteers this year. Award recipients contributed at least 120 hours of volunteer work, with six Gold Award recipients contributing at least 150 hours each.

Photo of some of the Gold Award Recipients
From left to right: Ling Zhi En, ITE College West; Mr Johnny Kho, President, AiSP; Matthias Loong, Temasek Polytechnic; Ms Tammie Tham, Chief Executive Officer, Ensign; Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health; Mr Gaurav Keerthi, Deputy Chief Executive (Development), CSA; Tabatha Chew, Singapore Polytechnic; Mr Wong Choon Bong, Director of Workforce & Strategic Resources and Policy Office, CSA | Other Gold Award recipients not pictured: Tay Gao Jun, ITE College West; Zhang Tian Ci Conan, Temasek Polytechnic; Loh Kar Wei, Singapore Polytechnic

Developed by Association of Information Security Professionals (AiSP) and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), the SVRP aims to encourage volunteerism amongst students while honing their interest and skills in cybersecurity. SVRP, an initiative under CSA’s SG Cyber Youth Programme, has received strong participation and support from local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as well as AiSP’s industry partners.

During the event, SMS Janil also had a dialogue session with the award recipients to discuss their future aspirations.

The cybersecurity field promises many new and diverse career opportunities as technology becomes increasingly integral to our digital economy and our way of life. I am encouraged that AiSP, Cyber Youth Singapore and employers such as Ensign InfoSecurity and GovTech, are actively providing volunteering and training opportunities for our youths. I am also heartened that our youths are already giving back to the community at a young age and are recognised in the Student Volunteer and Recognition Programme.

- Dr Janil Puthucheary
Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and Health

Despite Covid-19 putting a halt to physical volunteering opportunities, we are delighted to see so many students continuing to serve the cybersecurity community in many different ways. CSA is glad to partner AiSP in this programme to recognise and encourage volunteerism among our next generation of cybersecurity enthusiasts. I congratulate the winners and thank all the youth volunteers for their efforts.

- Mr Wong Choon Bong
CSA’s Director of Workforce & Strategic Resources and Policy Office

The SVRP is part of our commitment to invest in the future generation of cyber leaders. AiSP will continue to refine our programme and expand our outreach to allow more youths to explore their potential in the industry while developing industry-relevant competencies. Our collective effort and contributions – from youths to educators to industry partners – will play a vital role in building a more sustainable cybersecurity ecosystem and in enabling Singapore to secure its digital future.

- Mr Freddy Tan
AiSP EXCO Lead for Student Volunteer Recognition Programme