Headline Tech-savvy talent key to Smart Nation
Publication THE BUSINESS TIMES
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Journalist
AVE
ON
weet
or Angela
fter a
election
Angela Merkel secured a
m after Sundays heated fed-
perhaps the most unsurpri-
o one least of all the
self would have expected
ng, Mrs Merkel is busy licking her
poorest general election result since
2005.
e ruling centre-right Christian Demo-
varian sister-party, the Christian So-
o secure just over 33 per cent of the
per cent in the last polls four years
n the Chancellors controversial de-
ders to more than a million refugees.
e are widening divisions and extreme
e, many of whom clearly didnt buy
f herself as a stable and predictable
any through an uncertain global eco-
largest party in the Bundestag, the
l will have to govern with a far less
uising and eventful day for German
Deutschland (AfD) party powered its
uccess with 13 per cent of the vote,
e than half-a-century that an overtly
rmanys national parliament.
AfD now saddled with the difficult
o a properly functioning parliament-
n politics over the medium to long
me Minister Tharman Shanmugarat-
ok on Monday, the presence of the
ft, and a challenge to the moderation
of Germanys political landscape.
business is to form a new coalition,
emocrats decision not to continue
ad, they will return to the opposition
eir worst election result in post-war
hancellor will not be inviting anyone
ng table. The only feasible option for
icky three-way tie-up between the
beral FDP party that managed 10 per
on 9 per cent. The signs point to her
end of the year, but it will also be a
to reassure nervy investors that she
ern effectively, given that she has
n a weaker state and diminished on
he achieved the bare minimum at the
y finished with the most number of
e can be pleased about. Its a bitter-
at the helm of Europes largest eco-
e will provide the sternest test of her
man politician who can weather the
as demonstrated many times in the
resilience to stay the course.
s Holdings
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e officer
holdings
HUNG
utive officer
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TAN
chief marketing officer
ELSIE CHUA
r digital transformation. Either they convert their
KONG
ditor
HANNA
tor bt inc editor
VASAN LILIAN ANG
editor associate news editor
IFEN ANGELA TAN
s editor digital editor
OOI CHRISTOPHER LIM
ditor deputy digital editor
ANG LEE KIM SIANG
tor
N NG
E BOTTOMCopyright
LINE 2016 Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
2017-09-26
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BY MICHAEL HABERZETTL
$ 3313
Tech-savvy talent
key to Smart Nation
Closer collaboration between companies and tertiary institutes in Singapore is a must
to create a mutually beneficial relationship for digital transformation. BY MICHAEL HABERZETTL
S
INGAPORES top priority for its Smart
Nation initiative has always been
around jobs be it job creation or the
transition to better-quality jobs. The
push for more technologically advanced
business models has created an incessant need
for more tech-savvy individuals.
While urban infrastructure is critical for a
digitalised nation, a truly Smart Nation cannot be
built without first digitalising our talent.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed his
concern earlier this year on Singapore not moving
as fast as it ought to on digital transformation. At
this years National Day Rally, he touched on how
each Smart Nation project, whether big or small,
needs engineers, programmers, data analysts and
technicians with the right skills, managers with
the understanding, and leaders with the dare,
courage and organisational ability to make it
happen.
With a worldwide shortage of such talent and
skills, what must we do to urgently build up our
talent pool?
As Singapore pushes ahead to become a Smart
Nation, there has been a mushrooming of compa-
nies whose business models revolve around the
use of technology.
The market pressures exerted on organisa-
tions to evolve into more digitally enhanced oper-
ations places even higher demands on the work-
force. This means workers need to rapidly keep
up with this change or risk being made redund-
ant. A survey by Accenture earlier this year re-
vealed that 86 per cent of respondents say that
their organisation has made significant structural
changes to their workforce to implement emer-
ging technologies.
Singapore is also seeing a shortage of special-
ists, especially in areas such as cybersecurity,
data analysis, software development, user inter-
face/user experience designers and network en-
gineering, as outlined by Vivian Balakrishnan,
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minis-
ter-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, dur-
ing the Committee of Supply Debate 2017. Accord-
ing to industry players, the tertiary institutions
here have not been producing enough IT gradu-
ates or in some areas they are equipped with
skills that are no longer relevant.
Beyond skills, a digitalised mindset is also
critical and its not all just about being tech
savvy. A digitalised mindset comprises three key
fundamentals. First, the ability to foresee and
transform before the need to change arises.
Secondly, the power to stay with ambiguity,
which means making decisions with incomplete
information and changing course as you explore
and experiment. Lastly, identifying opportunities
for collaboration by bringing together cognitively
diverse individuals with varied experiences and
perspectives.
Singaporeans generally believe in the
tried-and-tested method and the government is
trying its utmost to cultivate a more entrepre-
neurial mindset in driving innovation as seen
through its accelerator and incubator pro-
grammes. Real mindset change, however, must
come from within, including the belief that failure
is part of the learning and development process.
STAYING RELEVANT
There are two ways companies can think about
current business model from offline to online or
they recondition their whole business model
based on technology.
The first approach is achievable in a shorter
period and will quite likely reap immediate res-
ults. However, looking at the rapid, disruptive
nature of technology, this approach only plugs a
prevailing gap which will not be sustainable in the
long term. The second approach of infusing tech-
nology into the inner workings of a business
enables operational agility and adaptability, re-
gardless of the shifts in the digital economy, allow-
ing for more continued business growth.
To stay relevant, businesses need to approach
digital transformation not as keeping up with
todays needs but anticipating the needs of the
future. A large part of this is dependent less on
the technology per se but more on equipping
todays and tomorrows workforce with the right
digital and problem-solving skills for the future.
Companies must adopt a more holistic ap-
proach to digitalising talent.
First and foremost, structuring the companys
business model based on technology with more
cross-divisional work to share and reapply digital
knowledge.
Siemens recently launched its first fully integ-
rated Digitalisation Hub. It brings together data
scientists, solution architects, software engin-
eers, system specialists and domain specialists
from the urban infrastructure, industrial and
healthcare sectors allowing the creation of syner-
gies and an ecosystem for our teams.
The Hub is powered by MindSphere, an open,
cloud-based IoT (Internet of Things) operating
system, which offers data analytics, connectivity
capabilities and tools for developers, applications
and services. It helps to evaluate and process data
to gain insights and optimise the performance of
assets for maximised productivity.
Next, organisations need to hire the right
talent, both locally and internationally. A good
case in point is GovTechs Smart Nation Fellow-
ship Programme that seeks to attract top data
scientists, technologists and engineers from aca-
demia and industries in Singapore and overseas
to join the government for short stints of three to
six months. This allows the cross-sharing of in-
formation and provides an external perspective
on digital gaps that may have been overlooked.
Companies must elevate the digital skills of
their workforce to adapt to newer challenges by
investing in either on-the-job training or dedic-
ated training programmes. The Ministry of Com-
munications and Information recognises this
pressing need, as seen by its S$120 million invest-
ment last year to support training for both current
and future infocomm professionals.
While companies must do their part, employ-
ees should start taking their personal develop-
ment into their own hands by keeping their noses
to the ground on industry demands and identify-
ing their skills development needs. SkillsFuture
offers a breadth of infocomm technology pro-
grammes including IMDA-led courses such as
The Business Times | Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Companies must
adopt a more
holistic approach
to digitalising
talent and elevate
the digital skills of
their workforce to
adapt to newer
challenges by
investing in either
on-the-job training
or dedicated
training
programmes.
BT FILE PHOTO
Master of Computing in Infocomm Security, Mas-
ter of Technology in Software Engineering and
Bachelor of Computer Science.
Lifelong learning is crucial but education insti-
tutes need to also ensure that they are more in
tune with industry demands through cross-func-
tional learning. There must be closer collabora-
tion between tertiary institutes and companies
through internships and scholarships, develop-
ment of school curricula, and providing other
valuable educational opportunities and resources
to create a mutually beneficial relationship.
There is a big push from the likes of the Singa-
pore Institute of Technology that prides itself as
an industry-centric university to produce gradu-
ates who are highly valued by the industry. Some
recent partners include the Land Transport Au-
thority, PSA Corporation and Siemens.
GENERATING VALUE
Most importantly, companies need to align their
digitalisation agenda with that of the government
to leverage opportunities and generate greater
value by synergising with government funding
and schemes.
The Ministry of Communications and Informa-
tion, the Infocomm Development Authority of
Singapore and the Media Development Authority
of Singapore unveiled the Infocomm Media 2025
Masterplan in August 2015, with three strategic
focuses:
leverage the power of data and data insights,
advanced communications and computational
technologies to catalyse transformation across
key sectors of our economy;
develop a future-ready workforce that em-
braces risk-taking and innovation;
deploy infocomm media technologies in a
people-centric manner.
Companies need to ensure that they are tap-
ping the developments of these Masterplans and
have the agility to shift and change their business
models when necessary.
Digitalisation is no longer an add-on. It is a way
of life and needs to be indoctrinated into our
mindsets.
Digital transformation requires digitally
skilled people. This ranges from research and de-
velopment to sales and marketing, manufactur-
ing, engineering and even areas such as finance,
legal and human resources.
Digital is no longer a channel. It is the oppor-
tunity to deliver more value to society and, in
turn, create more profitable and successful com-
panies.
The writer is head of human resources, Asean,
at Siemens