The Intergenerational IT Bootcamp aims to bridge the digital divide among senior citizens by addressing differences in educational background, language and infocomm competencies.

Singapore’s Intergenerational IT Bootcamp has gained international recognition, winning one of the top accolades at this year’s Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) International Innovations Award.

The programme, a joint effort by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and local schools, won in the “Innovations in Citizen Engagement and Dialogue” category. The award was presented at the CAPAM Biennial Conference which was held in New Delhi, India, on 26 October.

The Intergenerational IT Bootcamp, which was introduced in early 2010, is an innovative approach to helping senior citizens overcome their phobia or inertia in learning IT skills. It enlists the help of their grandchildren to guide them during IT lessons on topics such as learning to surf the net, watching videos on YouTube, using hand-writing devices to insert Chinese text on search engines and making travel bookings online.

The project leverages the computing facilities of neighbourhood schools. Students not only conduct one-on-one tutorials for the senior citizens but are also engaged in event planning and execution, thus giving them a sense of ownership and providing the schools with a way to foster long lasting relationships with the residents in the community. For the senior citizens, the programme provides an opportunity to pick up practical computer skills while bonding with their grandchildren.

“We are heartened by the winning of this prestigious award,” said Mr Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of IDA. “By encouraging bonding with the younger generation through learning, seniors will be further motivated and spurred to pick up ICT skills. We certainly hope to see more seniors taking part in the programmes we have to offer.”

The Intergenerational IT Bootcamp is a programme under IDA’s Silver Infocomm Initiative (SII) that aims to bridge the digital divide among senior citizens aged 50 and above by addressing differences in educational background, language and infocomm competencies. Since 2007, more than 65,000 training places have been generated for senior citizens under the SII, exceeding the original target of 45,000.

Besides the Intergenerational IT Bootcamps, training sessions are also held at Silver Infocomm Junctions (SIJ) and during Silver Infocomm Day. Silver Infocomm Junctions are facilities set up to provide senior citizens with accessible venues for infocomm training while Silver Infocomm Day is an annual event that  comprises a series of hands-on training workshops, an exhibition and talks aimed at educating senior citizens on the latest in infocomm lifestyle trends and products.

Singapore’s Accountant-General’s Department (AGD) and Housing Development Board (HDB) were also shortlisted as finalists at the CAPAM Awards.

AGD’s Centralised Liquidity Management (CLM) for statutory boards was one of the top three projects in the “Innovations in Public Service Management” category. CLM is an innovative solution which allows cash management of statutory boards to be centralised at AGD, resulting in substantial savings and efficiency gains for the public sector.

Under the CLM initiative, the statutory boards’ bank accounts are linked to AGD’s central bank account via a sweeping structure developed with the banks. Any excess or shortfall of cash in the individual statutory boards’ bank accounts will be transferred back or topped up from AGD’s central account respectively. The statutory boards continue to retain ownership of their cash, while AGD manages and invests the excess cash on their behalf. The online cash portal – the first of its kind in the public sector - also provides a holistic view of the statutory boards’ liquidity position.

HDB emerged as one of the three finalists in the “Innovative Use of Technology in the Public Service” category with its Skydeck Lab@Treelodge project. Skydeck Lab@Treelodge is a research and development laboratory integrated into Treelodge@Punggol, HDB’s first eco public housing precinct. The lab monitors and validates data on green technologies deployed, with the aim of fine-tuning the features for wide-scale implementation.

Seamlessly integrated into the rooftop design of Blk 306C of Treelodge@Punggol, it is an integral part of Treelodge’s “living lab” concept for HDB to pilot the implementation of innovative green solutions in the areas of energy efficiency, enhanced greenery, as well as efficient water and waste management.

The Skydeck Lab enables data collection and central monitoring of the impact of green technologies and innovations deployed in the precinct. It also provides a collaborative platform for researchers to test-bed and validate the effectiveness of green innovations while being a venue for HDB to share best practices in sustainable public housing development with fellow industry professionals.

The CAPAM International Innovation Awards reinforces the Singapore Government’s eGov2015 Masterplan’s vision of developing a collaborative government that co-creates and connects with its people to be better prepared to meet the challenges ahead and bring Singapore to the next e-government frontier.