The Student Volunteer & Recognition Programme (SVRP)  Award Ceremony was held on 24 March 2021 to recognise student volunteers for their  contributions to the cybersecurity community. A total of 64 awards, including 6 Gold Awards,  were given to student volunteers during the ceremony, recognising their passion, dedication,  and contributions. The award recipients contributed at least 120 hours of volunteer work,  with Gold Award recipients contributing at least 150 hours. The list of winners can be found  on https://www.aisp.sg/cyberfest/svrp_winners_2020.html 

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 capabilities in cybersecurity. An initiative under CSA’s SG  Cyber Youth Programme, SVRP has received strong participation and support from local  Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as well as AiSP’s industry partners.  

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health, Dr  Janil Puthucheary, was the Guest-of-Honour at this event where he presented six students  with the SVRP Gold Award and had a dialogue session with the awards recipients to discuss  their future aspirations. 

Dr Puthucheary said: “The cybersecurity field promises many new and diverse career  opportunities as technology becomes increasingly integral to our digital economy and our  way of life. CSA has introduced the SG Cyber Youth initiative to reach out to students to  explore their journey in cybersecurity, recognising that youths form an important  cybersecurity talent pipeline. I am encouraged that AiSP, Cyber Youth Singapore and  employers such as Ensign InfoSecurity and GovTech, are actively providing volunteering  and training opportunities for them. 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.” 

In 2020, there were close to 100 student volunteers in the SVRP, contributing more than  9,000 hours of volunteering to the cybersecurity community.  

Mr Wong Choon Bong, CSA’s Director of Workforce & Strategic Resources and Policy Office  said: “Despite Covid-19 putting a halt on physical volunteering opportunities, it is heartening  to see so many students continue to serve the cybersecurity community in many different  ways. CSA is glad to continue to partner with 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.” 

“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,” said Mr Freddy Tan, AiSP EXCO Lead for Student Volunteer  Recognition Programme.