DBS UNI.CORN internship returns to attract 1,000 applicants

DBS is kicking off the second year of its 12-week internship programme, DBS UNI.CORN, following the success of the programme last year. The 2017 intake was expanded by 50%, from 16 to 24 interns this year.

The DBS UNI.CORN programme is part of the bank’s strategy to develop and groom the future generation of digital bankers, as it seeks to act like a 22,000-person start up.

This year, DBS received over 1,000 applications, a five-fold increase from the previous year. The 24 penultimate-year university students - also known as UNI.CORNs - are from diverse disciplines, including banking and finance, engineering, and liberal arts. They were selected based on their ability to solve problems and work in a team.

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The curriculum for the DBS UNI.CORN internship programme enables them to develop prototypes to address specific business problems. Interns will work in teams of four, with each team assigned a business problem from either the bank’s consumer banking, SME banking or technology units.

UNI.CORNs will spend their 12 weeks conceptualising and developing a solution to address the problem statement. On the last day, Demo Day, each team will then showcase their solutions to the bank’s senior management. The solutions presented may be tested within the respective business units. For example, one of the prototypes, an e-dollar Ang Bao on DBS PayLah mobile wallets, was introduced as a trial to DBS staff during Chinese New Year.

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Neal Cross, DBS’ chief innovation officer said: “An agile and innovative workforce will help make Singapore’s Smart Nation ambition a reality and we are excited to be a part of this by nurturing the next generation of digital bankers, strengthening Singapore’s talent pool.”

Here is the full list of training programmes offered by DBS:

1. Management Associate Programme - 24 months
2. Graduate Associate Programme (Operations) - 24 months
3. Graduate Associate Programme (SME banking) - 12 months
4. Business Analytics Graduate Immersion Programme (BAGIP) - 12 months

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