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Jerry Tso, Head of Singapore Development Center at PayPal
Having worked in PayPal for over 15 years, I’m still fascinated by the innovative and inclusive culture of the company, and one of the most exciting parts of my job is having the chance to work with some of the brightest young minds in Singapore – including female talents who have come through our Women Luminaries Program (WLP) in recent years.
As a global leader in pioneering digital fintech innovation, PayPal believes that diversity is the catalyst of innovation. A diverse workforce that includes people of different genders, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, abilities and even thoughts and experiences, can deliver unique ideas that create positive impact not only to PayPal’s business, but also to our community.
Amelia Leow is a third-year Computer Science student from the National University of Singapore currently interning as a Product Analyst at PayPal Singapore, and a recipient of the WLP - an all-rounded program for passionate female undergraduates to build a solid foundation for a tech career, and develop the skills needed to become leaders in this field. Luminaries like Amelia have injected fresh ideas and insights that enable us to create business impact and strengthen our innovation capabilities.
“One of the things that make my role enjoyable is that there is always something interesting going on at work. I appreciate that working at PayPal means I have the latitude to explore and learn, and the leadership works with me to match my interests and skills with the needs of the business. What’s more, I work with people from different countries and backgrounds and the varied perspectives all contribute to unique discussions that you don’t typically get in a classroom environment. Everyone has been extremely helpful, so working in PayPal after graduation would be something that I’d really like.”
Promoting gender equality, diversity and women in tech is at the top of government agenda in Singapore, and the WLP echoes the national ambitions. In fact, the government has dedicated 2021 as the Year of Celebrating SG Women and has been calling on every Singaporean to pledge support to and act for women in the country. However, even as digital technologies take center stage in the global economy and opportunities are aplenty, Singapore faces a significant talent shortage in the tech sector. To achieve its Smart Nation ambitions, Singapore’s local information and communication technology (ICT) sector, which currently employs about 200,000 people, will require another 60,000 over the next three years.
While women represent only 25 to 35 percent of STEM graduates in Singapore[1], boosting the number of local females in the field could be key to mitigating this problem and it requires collaborative efforts from both the public and private sector. The SG Women in Tech initiative introduced by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore enables young females in Singapore to identify diverse pathways into the tech field.
PayPal is committed to creating more opportunities for women to thrive starting with female ICT students to help them bridge the gap between education and work; and the WLP is a prime example. Each luminary receives a one-time scholarship to offset their education expenses, a three to six-month internship at PayPal where they will gain valuable exposure to the world of digital payment, including exclusive access to mentors and internal technical courses, workshops and social events, as well as the potential opportunity to the join the team in a full-time role upon graduation.
The WLP has undergone a redesign this year and we are excited to announce the expansion of the program. By more than tripling the number of scholarships, our goal is to reach a wider number of female tech talent across all universities with eligible undergraduate programs in Singapore and help them take the first few steps towards building their careers.
The 2021 Women Luminaries Program is now open for application. We are looking for quality candidates from tech-related disciplines, such as Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cyber Security, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. If you share the same vision of harnessing tech to empower communities, please don’t hesitate and apply with us today!
Details for eligibility – applicants must be:
- A Singaporean Citizen or Permanent Resident
- Currently enrolled as a full-time Year 2/3 undergraduate in one of the eligible universities in Singapore (NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and SIT)
- Studying Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related fields
- Able to demonstrate passion and strong interests in tech and innovation, with a track record of contributing to the tech community
For more details on the program and to apply, visit: https://www.paypal.com/sg/webapps/mpp/wlp