2.         Singapore’s creative industries, or CI, have registered steady growth over the years.  Estimates indicate that the value-added growth of the CI has averaged about 6% annually between 2003 and 2008. Over this period, annual employment growth has also averaged 4%.

 

3.         The CI also make a significant indirect impact on the rest of our economy by helping us differentiate the products and services we offer.  This is vital for competitiveness, as consumers increasingly look beyond price, utility and quality, to factors such as customer experience, look and feel, and innovativeness. Let me illustrate the importance of differentiation with an example from the design sector.

 

4.         Most of us are familiar with the humble power socket, but few would have been able to re-imagine it as local firm Eubiq has done. Eubiq created the Power Track, an innovative power outlet system which allows customers to plug in multiple gadgets anywhere along the track. Eubiq’s technology has been successfully distributed in over 40 countries, with major clients such as the Ascott Group and Dubai International Airport.  It has also won several international awards, including the International Design Excellence Awards.  To encourage more companies become like Eubiq, the DesignSingapore Council, SPRING and IE Singapore introduced the Design for Enterprises programme in November 2008 to help businesses leverage on design to be more competitive.

 

5.         Beyond economic benefits, the CI also help add buzz and excitement to our city. Over the years, we have witnessed strong growth in both the number of arts activities held in Singapore, as well as attendance at such activities. This vibrancy has propelled Singapore towards becoming a leading global city, and one of the best places in the world to live, work and play.

 

 

 

7.         These achievements are testament to the progress we have made in developing the CI. However, there is still much that can be done to leverage our creative capabilities. Indeed, the Economic Strategies Committee, or ESC, had recognized the importance of design as a key capability that differentiates our businesses from global competition, and sharpens our competitive edge. The Government will be rolling out a comprehensive suite of new initiatives to spur the adoption of design by enterprises soon. Let me briefly outline some of these initiatives today.

8.         The greatest impact of design will not be just within the design industry, but through the application of design and the design thinking process to other economic sectors to drive innovation, raise productivity and sharpen their competitive edge. The first initiative is to put in place programmes to encourage companies to place design and design thinking at the heart of their business strategy.

 

 

9.         This will be done through the Productivity and Innovation Credit, or PIC. Introduced in the 2010 Budget, the PIC aims to provide significant tax deductions for investments in a broad range of activities along the innovation value chain. It covers six activities, one of which is design. The PIC for design allows businesses to deduct up to 250% of their expenditure on qualifying industrial and product design activities from their taxable income. This amount is capped at S$300,000 per year of assessment.  The DesignSingapore Council will administer this incentive, and will announce more details within the next few weeks.

 

 

10.       Design thinking is a user-centric innovation process that innovates and improves on products and services with the user’s experience in mind.  Design thinking will be essential to developing a creative and innovative workforce, and improving business and work processes, customer-centric services and new products.  The second initiative is for DesignSingapore Council to work with its partners to infuse design thinking in schools and the workforce, through programmes that train workers in design thinking innovation processes, and middle managers and CEOs in using design thinking strategically for their businesses.

11.       The third initiatives is for the DesignSingapore Council to set aside affordable spaces to encourage enterprises and designers to collaborate and work towards cutting-edge design-driven innovation.  These spaces will be supported with prototyping facilities. Incubator programmes and showcase events will also be organized to encourage the cross-pollination of ideas and the creation of innovative products and services. We envisage these spaces to house a collection of creative enterprises leveraging on design as an innovation driver.

 

Creative Industries Workforce Skills Qualification

12.       Beyond these initiatives, MICA’s Statutory Boards will continue to work closely with partners such as the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to put in place various capability development programmes for the CI. One of the most important collaborative efforts is the Creative Industries Workforce Skills Qualification Framework, or CI WSQ for short. WDA and MICA agencies have worked together with industry players and other leading organizations, to identify the key competencies needed for different occupations and for career advancement in the CI. Standards have been drawn up, and training programmes have been introduced to enable Singaporeans to acquire these industry-recognized competencies.

13.       WSQ training courses are competency-based and practice-oriented.  Wherever feasible, they include attachments to companies and work on real projects so as to reinforce learning. For example, some trainees in the WSQ Diploma in Animation are attached to Tiny Island Productions, a company which specializes in 3D animation productions. The trainees worked on an animated showreel that was shown at the Singapore Pavilion during the recent MIPTV event in Cannes. I understand that they will soon have the opportunity to work on a 3D stereoscopic animated feature film project that is a collaboration between Tiny Island and a company based in Thailand.

 

 

15.       With support from the industry and emphasis on actual workplace application, the WSQ courses have proven to be relevant and effective. Since 2007, when the first WSQ course for the CI was introduced, over 1,000 CI professionals have taken part in such training.

17.       Existing professionals too have found the WSQ training useful. Ms Cynthia Ng, who made a mid-career transition, was formerly a Teacher. After taking up a WSQ course in Public Relations (PR), she successfully landed on a job with a PR consultancy firm.  Ms Tamara Emir is a young Marine Science university graduate who completed her WSQ course in Arts Management and is now working in a dynamic social enterprise within an arts company.  Another example was Ms Regine Ang, formerly an Operations and Marketing Executive, who completed a WSQ course for Assistant Editors.  She is now working full-time as a Video Editor in a TV production house.

18.       Going forward, MICA, WDA and our partners will broaden and deepen the WSQ offerings. This year, three new training providers will be coming on board to offer workforce development programmes. They are the Centre for Continuing Education at Tisch School of the Arts Asia in the area of the performing arts; the Singapore Institute of Architects which will offer WSQ courses in architectural practice; and the IP Academy which will conduct training in intellectual property management training. With these additions, we will have 19 training providers that will collectively build up their capacity to offer over 5,000 WSQ training places for the creative industry.