The infocomm industry is a key contributor to Singapore’s economy and also an enabler to enhance the competitiveness and labour productivity of other industries. Against this backdrop, IDA is championing the Infocomm Industry Productivity Roadmap, which is supported by the National Productivity & Continuing Education Council (NPCEC), to transition Singapore’s infocomm industry from labour-based to more productivity-led growth. The three sub-segments of the infocomm industry that will benefit most from this transition are: software development, system integration and IT consultancy.

For infocomm enterprises, productivity is about finding new and innovative ways to operate more efficiently and to grow the business without escalating resource requirements. Under the Infocomm Industry Productivity Roadmap, the approach is to transition infocomm companies towards product or cloud-based business models which will allow them to scale quickly and serve global customers more efficiently.

A longer-term plan will also be put in place to develop the necessary skillsets for local infocomm professionals in anticipation of the shift in job profiles as a result of the transformation.

Programmes and Initiatives

IDA seeks to drive infocomm industry productivity by making it easier and more affordable for infocomm local enterprises (iLEs) to gain access to productivity tools, services and expertise. It also supports iLEs in acquiring new capabilities that will help them transition existing market-ready solutions to more productive and scalable business models, as well as in enlarging the market space through internationalisation. In line with this, some of the programmes and initiatives that have been introduced under the Infocomm Industry Productivity Roadmap include:

• Productivity & Productisation Programme Office
  The Productivity & Productisation Programme Office (PPPO) provides iLEs with access to cost-effective shared resources such as productivity tools as well as professional expertise to help them transition towards more productive business models. The PPPO was set up by the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation with the support of IDA.
  
  
• Infocomm Productivity Masterclasses
  IDA has been partnering the Workforce Development Agency and the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation to organise a series of infocomm productivity masterclasses aimed at helping iLEs to reshape their business models and promote productivity growth. Relevant thought leaders in areas not limited to product management, user experience design, and agile development will be invited to share about their experience and best practices.
  
  
• CITREP
  The Critical Infocomm Technology Resource (CITREP) programme aims to encourage upgrading in critical, emerging and hybrid infocomm skills, such as such as product development, cloud computing and software architecture. This ensures that professionals have the right skills and capabilities to meet Singapore’s infocomm manpower needs.
  
  
• iSPRINT
  To encourage the adoption of productivity tools by iLEs, the iSPRINT scheme provides up to 70 per cent funding support when they adopt specialised productivity software such as tools for project management, software development, testing and collaboration.
  
  
• Productisation - Technology Innovation Programme
  The Technology Innovation Programme (TIP) supports companies in the development of innovative products by catalysing and co-funding technology projects. The TIP grant can support up to 70 per cent of qualifying project costs for manpower, professional fees, equipment and software.
  
  
• Internationalisation & Market Access
  To facilitate internationalisation and market access , the In-Market Accelerator Programme helps promising iLEs fast track market expansion by linking them up with well-established business networks in target markets overseas. iLEs can also tap on IDA’s overseas offices, or initiatives such as the Overseas Development Programme, to obtain market intelligence and referrals, as well as seek partnerships with MNCs for overseas market access.