"We are heartened by the results of the Pro-Enterprise (PER) Ranking this year. IDA endeavours to create a conducive infocomm environment for businesses with a view to encouraging competition and innovation in Singapore," said IDA's Chief Executive Officer RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay. "Our approach is to consult the industry and public and make timely policy decisions in order to respond to market developments and consumer needs. A conducive infocomm environment is essential to realising our vision of Singapore as an Intelligent Nation, a Global City powered by infocomm."

RADM(NS) Tay: Our approach is to consult the industry and public and make timely policy decisions.

ACE is a national effort to foster creativity and entrepreneurship in Singapore. The movement involves both the private and public sectors and is currently led by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister in-charge of Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

This year's Pro-Enterprise Ranking was topped by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, followed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore
and IDA.

The survey, which is now into its fifth year, involved more than 2,000 face-to-face interviews with businesses which had interacted at least once with the agency in the past 12 months. The Pro-Enterprise Index was then computed based on the aggregated scores of an agency's performance in each of five components: Compliance Cost, Review of Rules, Transparency, Customer Responsiveness, and Pro-enterprise Orientation.

Based on feedback from businesses, the average Pro-Enterprise Index for the 26 agencies surveyed in 2008 was 74.6, up from 73.3 in 2007 (and 68.6 in 2006). Moreover, 20 agencies achieved an index score of above 70, compared to 17 in 2007.

Qualitative feedback from face-to-face interviews with business leaders also showed that regulations were seen as being well thought out before implementation, and having kept pace with changes in the industries. Businesses also appreciated Singapore's transparent regulatory regime. Agencies were also found to deliver good quality e-services and informative web sites.

Responding to the agencies' best showing to date, Mr Patrick Daniel, who leads the Rules Action Crucible (Rules AC) – one of the four Action Crucibles of ACE - said: "We are happy that this annual survey has given accurate feedback to government agencies on where and how they can be more pro-enterprise in their regulatory role." Mr Daniel, who is Editor-in-Chief for English and Malay newspapers at Singapore Press Holdings, added: "We are happier still that agencies have acted on this feedback and continue to make significant improvements."

The Rules AC's objective is to encourage regulatory agencies to establish a pro-enterprise environment in Singapore. Since 2004, the Rules AC has commissioned the annual survey to assess the pro-enterprise orientation of government agencies. The survey was conducted by Frost and Sullivan.

Looking ahead, Mr Lee said: "This year's survey results reflect the continual improvement government agencies made in terms of being pro-business and raised standard of service. This strong partnership between the public and private sector makes Singapore unique. It is a tremendous source of competitiveness for our businesses."

By 2010, up to 4,000 people with disabilities will pick up IT skills at Singapore's first dedicated pan-disability training centre, which was officially opened by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports,
in July.

Known as the Infocomm Accessibility Centre (IA Centre, www.iacentre.org.sg), the 600 sq m facility is set within the premises of the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD). It comprises computer labs, training rooms and Asia's first assistive technology loan library.

The opening of the IA Centre marks a significant step towards realising Singapore's Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) vision of bridging the digital divide for people with disabilities. It also fulfills one of the key objectives of the 2007-2011 Enabling Masterplan for the Disability Sector – which is to equip disabled people with market-relevant skills to enhance their employability.

The computer accessibility tools make it possible for those with disabilities to pick up basic computing skills.

Made possible through people-public-private sector collaboration, the centre is being managed by the SPD. Among the corporate partners, Microsoft raised S$1 million towards the S$12.7 million needed for the set up and three years' running costs. Public sector support came from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the National Council of Social Services and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).

"Through our support for the IA Centre, IDA hopes that people with disabilities can also enjoy easier access to infocomm as well as realise their career ambitions through the training provided by the centre," said IDA's Chief Executive Officer, RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay.

The centre is equipped with a range of computer accessibility tools that make it possible for those with physical, sensory and developmental disabilities to pick up basic computing skills like word processing and industry-relevant skills such as digital imaging and graphic design. These include large-key keyboards and communication devices using eye-tracking technology for those with physical disabilities, zoomtext software and Braille notetakers for the visually handicapped and sound amplifiers for the hearing impaired.

The training is customised to the special needs of the trainees, each of whom will have an individualised training plan based on prior personal assessment
and appraisal.

After completing the IT course, those with the aptitude and capability
may progress to the IT Apprenticeship Programme (ITAP). The IA Centre
offers three tracks – corporate services, multimedia design, and music and video production. The intermediate level of the corporate services track will prepare trainees for certification from the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI).

Ranging from three months to one year, ITAP incorporates competency training, internship placements and engagement in commercial projects to prepare the trainees for employment in the open market.

In conjunction with the training courses, the IA Centre allows trainees to borrow computer accessibility tools and assistive technology devices from its loan library. In this way, trainees can try out these tools before purchase or borrow them when their own equipment is sent for servicing or repair.

A five-day training programme that uses Singapore as a learning model and is based on Singapore's own infocomm experience – the issues, challenges and successes – is attracting high-level participants from around the world.

26 delegates from 19 countries took part in the joint Singapore-International Telecommunication Union (ITU) training programme on "Enabling Frameworks for ICT Development - The Singapore Experience", which was held last month.

Mrs Forbes: I came expecting a lot and I have not been disappointed.

One of them was Mrs Marcia Althea Forbes,
Chairman of the Spectrum Management Authority
of Jamaica. "I came expecting a lot and I have
not been disappointed," she said. "This is an exceptional course. If it is continued, we will make
it our business to be here, every year, representing our region."

Mr Thari Pheko, Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Telecommunication Authority, concurred. "The course is very informative as it handles both theory and practice and is highly relevant to the industry," he said.

Mr Pheko: The course handles both theory and practice and is highly relevant to the industry.

Aimed at senior officers of developing countries, the course aims to promote regulatory cooperation at the sub-regional and regional levels, assist ITU members to develop various policy and regulatory skills and framework on common current telecommunication/ICT issues and establish and implement mechanisms for sharing and exchanging information, experiences and best practices.

It covers key policy and regulatory principles that IDA faces such as policy and competition, licensing, interconnection, as well as radio and spectrum issues.

Mr Mushtaq Ahmad: We are moving to uniform licensing and I was particularly interested in those topics.

Mr Mushtaq Ahmad, Director of Telecoms, Ministry of IT and Telecoms (MOITT) of Pakistan, was particularly impressed by the comprehensiveness of the course. "We are moving to uniform licensing and I was particularly interested in those topics. I have not been disappointed."

According to Mr Andy Haire, Deputy Director-General (Telecoms & Post) from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the course uses Singapore as a learning model and is based on the marketplace experience gained from Singapore's telecom sector. "However, the intention is not to promote a single model of ICT development. Rather the purpose is to help participants better appreciate the complexities, challenges and opportunities of a market, assisting them to develop a foundation to realise their own regulatory frameworks based on their particular objectives," he said.

Pengiran Salleh Aji: It was good of IDA to be so transparent in telling us the issues they faced.

Pengiran Salleh Aji, Assistant Chief Executive to the Authority for Infocommunication Technology Industry (AiTi) Brunei, said using the Singapore model was a great help as issues, challenges and successes were discussed based on real-life experiences.

"The critical issues were all brought up during the case studies. It was good of IDA to be so transparent and honest in telling us the issues they faced. The principle here is transparency and that is so important in the sharing of knowledge. It really helps the people attending the course. Like me, they are responsible for regulating our environment. The value-add to us is we can implement some of the ideas that we have learnt from here to resolve our own issues when we get home," he added.

Mrs Wanjau: It shows me how Singapore went from a third world country to a first, and that gives hope.

Apart from the classroom style learning, the course also included site visits to service providers' facilities. "The exchange was excellent. We saw their issues and they were not afraid to speak their mind about IDA, criticising them in areas where they think that it had not done a good enough job and giving praise, where praise was due. It is good to see such open relationships between the regulator and service providers," Mr Pheko of Botswana said. "IDA really showed us that it walked the talk."

Interacting with officials from other countries was also a plus point. As Mrs Forbes of Jamaica pointed out, it gave her a chance to gauge where other countries were going.

The course helped to open up new thought frontiers. "It shows me how Singapore went from a third world country to a first, and that gives hope," said Mrs Mercy Wanjau, Principal Legal Officer at the Communications Commission
of Kenya.

For programme details on "Enabling Frameworks for ICT Development - The Singapore Experience", click here.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) was recognised for its leading human resource (HR) practices at the Singapore HR Awards 2008 in July. IDA won awards for Learning and Human Capital Development and for Health and Employee Wellness. It also received a special mention for Performance Management. This was the first time IDA had made submissions to the Singapore HR Institute (www.shri.org.sg), which organised the awards.

Mrs Fum-Ko (left) receives the Singapore HR Award on behalf of IDA.

"We believe in nurturing our people and giving them ample opportunities to develop themselves to reach their potential while doing meaningful and challenging work. I am heartened that our programmes to develop our staff and our policies to foster a healthy work-life balance have been recognised," said IDA's Chief Executive Officer RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay. "We will continue to review our policies to stay at the leading edge in HR development and ensuring that our HR strategies achieve our organisational outcomes."

The IDA's HR programmes is driven by a competency-based framework to define and manage staff's performance and development. This framework defines the competencies that IDA staff need to have to deliver its organisational objectives. Introduced in 2002, it has been reviewed and
refined over the last five years. An integral part of it is ACE, an online performance management system which provides the platform for
assessment of competencies through 360 feedback and identification of development opportunities.

IDA is believed to be one of the few organisations in Singapore to adopt a competency framework. It has been invited to share about its system with the Directors of Personnel in the Public Service and Statutory Boards. It has also advised agencies on how the framework is operationalised.

Other than a comprehensive suite of Learning and Development programmes, IDA's HR schemes extend to creating a conducive work environment. Its employee wellness programmes are tailored to the practices common in the infocomm sector, with features such as flexible work arrangements and hours.

Said Mrs Fum-Ko Joon Chin, Director (HR), "We recognise that if we want to retain talent, we have to go beyond pay and benefits because people stay mainly for challenging work, learning and growth opportunities, quality of relationships with their bosses and the quality of the work environment."

• Click here for details of job openings at IDA.