Unlocking future skills through EY Badges

Meet Andrew Chong, a Transaction Diligence Senior in the EY Strategy and Transactions (SaT) team who has earned more than 19 EY Badges to date. His interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) during his first few years in EY has evolved to become his domain job today, where he builds different AI platforms and collaborates with other EY teams around the world on the application of AI within SaT and Assurance. Read his story below on how his journey in AI started with EY Badges.

Learning about technology out of general interest

I joined the EY SaT team in 2016 and started to build up my knowledge of different technologies in my own time. From there, I began applying the knowledge I had gained into the work that I was doing on a day-to-day basis.

Discovering EY Badges

EY Badges is a great program! When I first visited the platform to have a look around, I was intrigued by the structure and thought it would be useful in the future, so I decided to dive into it.

Being part of the EY AI technology team

My interest in earning EY Badges started in 2018 when the program was launched.  At the launch event, I learnt about the different technologies that EY was working on at that time. One of the technologies mentioned was AI and somehow I was immediately drawn to being part of that project. Since the EY Badges program offers different domains and numerous sub-domains, I decided to learn about AI so that I could be part of the EY team that was developing the technology back then.

I am grateful that my counsellor at that time was very supportive of what I wanted to do and I was strongly encouraged to learn more about AI through EY Badges.

The most wonderful part while pursuing the EY Badge on AI was the support I received from people within the global EY network. While working on the badge, I went to the EY intranet and came across EY SaT people in Oceania who were also working on AI projects at that time. I took the opportunity to read and research their projects and reached out to them. Thankfully, they were very supportive to help me further my learning and experience in AI.

As of now, I have two Platinum Badges in AI and Data Science, two Gold Badges in AI and EY Digital, a number of Silver Badges in Agile and AI, and a lot of Bronze Badges. My current aim is to earn the EY Tech MBA which requires me to accumulate 300 hours of coursework and complete a final assignment.

Applying the knowledge to real-life projects

 The time I had invested earning the AI badges has certainly helped me secure the role I am in today. While I was pursuing the badges, I also started building prototypes. Collaborations with EY teams in Australia allowed me to research new AI trends and apply them to some of the data points. With the learning and experiences gained from EY Badges, I am currently one of the few people in the organization globally who understands SaT, AI and its application in SaT.

EY Badges for professional career development

Continuous learning and development in whatever form are essential in any industry. EY Badges can be considered one of the latest forms of learning and development.  What we are seeing now are different types of platforms that people can access to receive learning and certificates. You can think of the badges as mini coursework where you have control in terms of where and when you wish to do them. 

Advice to those in EY who want to sign up for EY Badges

Go for it! EY Badges will allow you to take your career forward. For me, EY Badges provided me with the foundation to gain in-depth knowledge of the areas that interested me. The EY Badges are very doable, so long as you have the determination and passion to fuel you all the way to the finish line.

Earning an EY Badge is an exciting way to develop future-focused skills which are relevant in our dynamic working world. Think of EY Badges as portable credentials – awarded based on the same standards around the world and which you can keep throughout your career.

There are several domains for which you can earn an EY Badge. Some of my favorites are Analytics, Innovation and Digital. There are now five levels of badges - Learning, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, and each requires a combination of learning sessions and experiences. Furthermore, you can now earn a “Learning” badge by completing just 15 hours of learning, making it possible for you to gain skills more quickly.

Take the first step towards building a career that’s unique to you. Visit [EY Badges weblink] to learn more about EY Badges!

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