NCP Pt 1: The New Colombo Plan and Interning at Uber
The New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship Program is unique due to the flexibility it provides its beneficiaries. Essentially, a scholar can tailor their program to meet their goals and interests with a view to becoming a work-ready and Asia-competent Australian graduate. These graduates will then establish and deepen ties between Australia and the Indo-Pacific.
A key requirement of the NCP is that a scholar’s program is between 3 and 19 months in length. Scholars proposing longer programs are given preference in the scholarship application process. The other core requirement is that the scholar’s program include a ‘study component’. In all but a few cases, this means a university exchange to an institution in the Indo-Pacific with the which scholar’s home university in Australia has an exchange agreement. Other program components, which can be added and removed as it suits the scholar’s program, are internships (up to six months full time) and language training in a language of the Indo-Pacific region.
The flexibility of the NCP cannot be overstated. The program allows its scholars to add, subtract or change their program components while they are overseas, subject to their program case manager’s approval. Notwithstanding, it is perhaps not a bad move to have planned one’s program in as much depth as possible to allow a smooth progression through the program. A defined plan is generally also indicative of clear goals having crystallised for the scholar, which they should be ready to crush!
With this smorgasbord of opportunities available, NCP scholars have all the means to craft a holistic experience for themselves. For me, adding value to my NCP experience ultimately means developing into the most versatile graduate possible. Demonstrating my value would mean having a positive impact on the people whose lives I hope to improve in my career. What will follow in the next few weeks, beginning today, is a point by point summary of my NCP program.
1. Public Policy Internship at Uber Singapore Technologies PTE LTD (January 8 — February 2 2018)
I want to help to pave a way for sustainable technologies that will change the world. I envisage myself working for a disruptive private sector tech company — think Uber or Google — to facilitate the acceptance of new technologies through creative public policy solutions. My vision to represent Australian and broader Indo-Pacific interests through a public policy career (for more on setting your own value-driven goals, check out @Liam Greinke https://medium.com/@lifebygreinke/its-all-about-the-vision-12d8fcb1f873).
A policy role for me would mean removing political impediments to positive change in the world. Put into practice, in most cases this means working together with governments in the Indo-Pacific to modify their laws. It means removing legal obstacles to the implementation of new technologies. In today’s world, technology is exponentially evolving to make our lives easier. At long last, it is also allowing us to reduce our gargantuan ecological footprint on the planet. It seems inevitable that the law will have to adapt to accommodate the growth of new, sustainable technologies. In alignment with my belief in both sustainability and lifting the general standard of living, I want to be the impetus behind these changes in policy. As Martin Luther King Jr famously said, ‘Be the change you see in the world’.
It seems clear to me that there will be a lot of policy work to do in the future. Policy roles in both the public and private sectors will play a critical role in achieving legislative acceptance of technological advancements that will, without a doubt, change the world.
The first component of my program is a full-time public policy internship with Uber. I am currently participating in Uber’s APAC Regional Internship Program at its Singapore headquarters. Under the mentorship of @Damian Kassabgi, Uber’s Director of Public Policy for the Asia-Pacific region, I have the privilege of working alongside some of Uber’s most talented lawyers and policy professionals. My public policy internship includes coming to a better understanding of the regulatory frameworks that govern ridesharing in Asia. Key issues for me are how Uber can better work with governments and other regional stakeholders to improve frameworks that support shared mobility forms of transport, and how Uber can create new economic opportunities for citizens to become drivers. I am also working on a specific city project to assist in improving access to affordable transport in the Indo-Pacific region.
Many of Uber’s executive decisions have created policy flashpoints in the past. Most recently, the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber was a transport company rather than a computer services business as was argued by Uber. This ruling makes Uber subject to European Union regulations to which it was not previously subject, and it goes to show that policy concerning ridesharing is in constant development.
Just today, Uber launched the newest feature on its ridesharing service in Singapore. UberFLASH, a partnership between ComfortDelGro taxis and Uber, shows how Uber can work together with rather than against taxis to grow the overall pie for both stakeholders in the transport market. The service matches riders with the nearest driver-partner, either a ComfortDelGro taxi or an UberX vehicle; reducing waiting time and getting riders to their destination more quickly and efficiently. Agreements such as those leading to UberFLASH are extending the frontiers of collaboration between regulators and businesses. They show that Uber is an environment where I be able to explore frontiers of policy in the Indo-Pacific together with the experts.
Stoked!
