9 May 2013 - Working from a facility near home instead of having to travel into office could be a reality soon, with the launch of the Smart Work Centres Call-for-Proposal (SWC CFP).
Singapore, 9 May 2013 | For Immediate Release
Community spaces included as part of call to encourage flexible work arrangements
Working from a facility near home instead of having to travel into office could be a reality soon, with the launch of the Smart Work Centres Call-for-Proposal (SWC CFP). Introduced as part of the efforts to increase the awareness and acceptance amongst employers on bringing work closer to the homes and community, SWCs offer a work environment designed to cater to different modes of work and are usually equipped with professional facilities similar to those found in the office environment.
This latest call is led by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore in consultation with Employer Alliance (EA), Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress - Women's Development Secretariat (NTUC WDS) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).
This initiative also involves collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB) and People's Association, which will be offering a total of five community spaces, for selected proposals to set up and operate SWCs. These spaces are located in Jurong Regional Library, Geylang East Public Library, Toa Payoh Public Library, Kampong Ubi Community Centre and Kolam Ayer Community Club. While interested SWC operators are still welcome to propose their preferred locations, the identification of five community spaces is to encourage SWC operators to set up centres closer to where employees live. IDA hopes this will bring about greater clarity to the industry in terms of the scope of the project in relation to the viability of their business models, and in turn encourage more SWC operators to participate in this CFP with innovative proposals.
Noting that the SWC CFP is the second call by IDA to facilitate New Ways of Work, IDA's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ronnie Tay said, "Today, technology advancement and the deployment of enhanced infocomm infrastructure such as the Next Gen NBN have made such flexible working arrangements more viable. I encourage players in the infocomm and SWC industry as well as user enterprises to participate actively in this SWC CFP, and realise more of these flexible working arrangements in the near future".
The SWC CFP follows the award of the Call-for-Collaboration to pilot Home-based Work earlier this year, where two proposals were selected to carry out pilots in a variety of industries such as telecommunications, healthcare and education. For instance, patient care staff with Rasa Sayang Healthcare will be equipped with computing devices and broadband connectivity to enable remote access to work flow systems. This in turn allows them to now start the work day from home instead of having to first go into office to retrieve assignments for the day.
Successful reference models from this SWC CFP could be used to facilitate subsequent nationwide adoption and eventually lay the foundation for a SWC ecosystem, which extends beyond networks of SWC facilities to include value-added services such as human resource and change management consultancy and training.
Industry players and employers that are interested in the SWC CFP are invited to attend a briefing session held on 15 May 2013. More details will be provided at the briefing. Participants can also leverage on the session to network with like-minded companies to collaborate and submit proposals for this SWC CFP. For more information on the SWC CFP briefing session, please drop an email to services@imda.gov.sg.
ISSUED BY CORPORATE AND MARKETING COMMUNICATION DIVISION
INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
Related Resources
- Document on Smart Work Centres Call-for-Proposals (181.10KB)
- Factsheet on award of Call-for-Collaboration to Pilot Home-Based Work (182.69KB)
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.
For media clarification, please contact:
Melanie Koh (Ms)
Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Email: Melanie_Koh@imda.gov.sg
For queries on the SWC CFP, please contact:
Lee Bee Koon (Ms)
Senior Manager, Next Generation Services Development
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: (65) 6211-0496
Fax: (65) 6211-2213
Email:Lee_Bee_Koon@imda.gov.sg
Lin Wanxuan (Ms)
Manager, Next Generation Services Development
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: (65) 6211-0317
Fax: (65) 6211-2213
Email: Lin_Wanxuan@imda.gov.sg
*IDA will stop responding to queries on the SWC CFP after 14 June 2013.
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