Young Technopreneur Challenge 2022 returns to challenge students to come up with sustainable solutions for the future

South West Community Development Council (CDC) is collaborating with HP Singapore and Junior Achievement (JA) Singapore in organising the Young Technopreneur Challenge 2022 to encourage students in developing sustainable solutions in relation to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Sustainable South West Masterplan.  

2        The Young Technopreneur Challenge 2022 saw 37 teams with close to 150 students from Secondary 2 and 3 from 17 participating schools, where they attended bootcamps on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), design thinking, pitch and presentation, and online self-paced courses via HP’s free, skills-training program for entrepreneurs, business owners, and lifelong learners all over the world, HP Life. They were also mentored by HP employees. Participants were challenged to develop their ideas, go through a rigorous design thinking process, research and prototype, as well as learn about the critical steps to becoming a technopreneur. The top 3 winning teams will be able to participate in job shadow opportunities at HP Singapore to gain insights on real-life working experience. In addition, the champion will also receive a funding of $3,000 for the implementation of ideas.

3        Guest of Honour and Vice-Chairman of South West CDC, Mr Ang Wei Neng, said, “I am delighted to see that our partnership with HP Singapore and Junior Achievement (JA) Singapore has provided good opportunity for our students to develop sustainability solutions beyond the classroom setting through the application of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). As we continue to shape our greener and more sustainable future, it is important for us to expose our younger generation early so that they develop a sustainable mindset from young.”

4        Ms Vivian Chua, Managing Director, HP Singapore, said, “Sustainability and Digital Equity are key focus areas at HP. The students have gone through months of learning, research, and planning to bring their solutions to life today. It’s heartening to see the valuable insights they’ve gained and the confidence with which they’ve presented their proposals. I’m looking forward to the students incorporating the skills they’ve learned into their learning journey ahead and driving change in their communities.”

5        “We are pleased to once again be organising this year’s Young Technopreneur Challenge. Although this year’s participation in bootcamp on STEM is optional, we have included two mandatory online self-pace courses from HP Life on Business Communications and Basics of Finance to support and prepare students in the lead up to their final presentations. We hope these online courses will benefit students in their life skills and soft skills development, especially to prepare them for their future,” said Ms Ng Hau Yee, Executive Director, JA Singapore.

6        Secondary 3 student Chua Jen Ee from Raffles Girls' School, whose team came in first for the challenge, said, “I am grateful for the support from our teachers, mentor Ms Rachel, and most importantly our team members Ning Xin, Muhan and Suyeon. I am thrilled to be part of this competition because it gave us a hands-on experience outside of the classroom. I look forward to the job shadowing opportunity at HP Singapore, and hopefully we can gain more exposure through the experience.”

Fact Sheet

 The Young Technopreneur Challenge 2022 is organised by Junior Achievement Singapore, HP Singapore, and the South West Community Development Council (CDC) and aims to support students to take ownership of the world they live in and actively develop solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Sustainable South West Masterplan.

2               The challenge consists of three bootcamps where students will develop their ideas, go through a rigorous design thinking process, research and prototype, as well as learn about the steps to becoming a technopreneur. It culminates in an expo event where students will showcase and present their ideas to a range of industry judges – winners possibly taking home funding to support the development of their idea.

Details of Challenge

(I)             Registration

3             The Challenge is open to secondary two and three students. The students have to register in teams of four, and brainstorm ideas using the STEM concept to a environmental problem related to one of the three sustainability plans – (1) UN Sustainable Development Goals, (2) Singapore Green Plan 2030 and (3) Sustainable South West Masterplan. Mentors will be assigned to the teams to guide them in the development of ideas for their final presentation.

4              A total of 37 teams from 17 schools participated in the Challenge this year. More details on the participating schools can be found in Appendix A.

(II)            Bootcamps

5              To enhance the learning experience for the Challenge, three bootcamps on (1) design thinking, (2) STEM applications, and (3) pitching & presentation were conducted for all participants. The bootcamps were conducted online, and teams were assigned their mentors during the first bootcamp.

 (III)          Innovative Idea Expo and Presentation

6        All 37 participating teams will showcase their innovative ideas at the Preliminary Round of the Innovative Idea Expo and Presentation held on Saturday, 9 July 2022. Top eight teams will be selected to advance to the Grand Finals and the winners will be announced at the Award Ceremony.

7              The judging panel for the Grand Finals is as follows:

HP Singapore

1. Mr Ng Tian Chong, Managing Director of Greater Asia, HP Inc;

2. Ms Vivian Chua, Managing Director of Singapore, HP Singapore;

3. Mr Neil Westhof, Chief of Staff to the Managing Director of Greater Asia, HP Inc;

South West CDC

1. Mr Tiew Chew Meng, BBM, Chairman, Environment Functional Committee, South West CDC;

2. Dr Lee Hui Mien, Secretary, Environment Functional Committee, South West CDC; and

3. Mr James Han, Member, Environment Functional Committee, South West CDC.

8              The awards for the winning teams are as below:

a)    Prizes:

• Champion: Trophy + Laptop

• 1^st Runner-up: Trophy + Printer

• 2^nd Runner-up:  Trophy + Printer

• Best Presentation: Trophy

• Best Prototype: Trophy

• Most Innovative Idea: Trophy

b)    Company Job Shadow: Top three teams will participate in a job shadow program for one to five days at HP Singapore.

c)    Funding: $3,000 is available for the winning team for reaching approved implementation goals and milestones following the challenge to further develop the idea. 

Appendix A

List of Participating Schools for Young Technopreneur Challenge 2022