RMIT’s consecutive victory at the ASEAN Data Science Explorer 2020

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RMIT’s consecutive victory at the ASEAN Data Science Explorer 2020

RMIT University students were crowned Regional Champions at ASEAN Data Science Explorers 2020, breaking the record for consecutive competition victories.

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Live announcement of the award ceremony

The winning entry from students Nguyen Truong Thinh and Phung Tran Dieu Hoa, ‘Employable’ focused on unlocking the economic bottleneck for people with disabilities by bridging the gap between disabled people and employability.

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RMIT’s winning students Nguyen Truong Thinh and Phung Tran Dieu Hoa (pictured right to left)

‘’Our mission was to provide people with a disability a chance to work from home, at their own pace and have opportunities for borderless employment, ’said winning student Hoa.

Hoa added that the solution was also an opportunity for professional development for both employee and employers, while Thinh saw potential to link community consultation services for both parties.

Since the competition ended, The Dariu Foundation and SAP have shown keen interest in bringing this promising application to life for future expansion.

RMIT Manager of Equitable Learning Services, Wellbeing Carol Witney said that there was a lack of knowledge about dealing with disabled people and a presence of misconceptions from employers in Vietnam.

‘’As responsible citizens of this community we need to increase awareness about the discrimination and stigmatisation around disabled people seeking employment,’’ Ms Witney said.

According to Ms Witney, what’s needed is a change of mindset and overall spirit of inclusion to help break stereotypes and open doors for people with physical disabilities to work from the comfort of their own homes, which will also allow national and International companies to fulfill Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

RMIT Manager of Employment & Industry Relations and the mentor to the winning team, Melvin Fernando strongly encouraged other students to participate in such events, as well as utilise RMIT facilities to polish their resume, improve their interviewing skills and increase their chance of employment.

‘’Other students should use this win as inspiration to contribute to the betterment of society and challenge themselves to go beyond their limits as well as add value to their CV,’’ Mr Fernando said.

ASEAN Data Science Explorer is run by SAP and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foundation to increase digital literacy and cultivate a greater sense of responsibility and ownership of the region’s future. This year’s competition asked participants to design an innovative solution with practical applications to tackle ASEAN socio-economic issues. Watch the regional final competition here.

Story: Ananya Mangwani

Campus and community

Media Release

17 December 2020