15 July 2008 - Address By Ms Christina Gan, Senior Director, Infocomm Security And Manpower Development, Infocomm Development Authority Of Singapore, As Guest Of Honour At Java Jive Regional Challenge 2008, Hilton Singapore, Grand Ballroom
Address By Ms Christina Gan, Senior Director, Infocomm Security And Manpower Development, Infocomm Development Authority Of Singapore, As Guest Of Honour At Java Jive Regional Challenge 2008, On Tuesday, 15 June 2008, 2.40pm, Hilton Singapore, Grand Ballroom
Distinguished partner Sun Microsystems,
Valued education partner, ITE,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
Introduction
1. I am happy to be here to witness the first regional Java Jive Challenge. When Java Jive started in 2006, it was very much a Singapore-based competition. This year, Java Jive has reached the shores of Malaysia and Thailand, bringing the excitement of software development which Singapore students have enjoyed to these countries. I congratulate Java Jive on going regional.
2. As one of the challenges under Singapore’s National Infocomm Competition or NIC in short, it gives me great pleasure to welcome the Java Jive champion teams from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore here today. It is a fantastic achievement to win the championship honours in your respective country. Well done! The knowledge, skills and experience which you have acquired during this competition are invaluable and I hope you are inspired to consider infocomm as your long-term career choice.
Java Jive Challenge Provides Real World Scenario In Healthcare
3. I am glad that Sun Microsystems and ITE have offered the participants the opportunity to experience a hands-on approach as they develop and deploy applications to address real life issues that the healthcare industry is currently facing. I wish to thank the industry mentors, namely Alexandra Hospital from Singapore, Terengannu State Government from Malaysia, Software Park Thailand and Thai Medical Informatics Association from Thailand.
4. Healthcare is something that is close to our hearts. We want a healthcare system we can trust, is reliable and offers good value. Infocomm technology plays a great part in delivering these attributes.
5. Indeed, innovative applications are being implemented in various healthcare institutions across the Asia Pacific region. They adopt infocomm as means to reduce costs and provide better patient care. Hospitals across the region and in Singapore like Alexandra Hospital are leveraging technology to match the demands of today's tech-savvy consumers. These consumers expect better healthcare and customer services through timely, efficient and accessible service. IT has made a big impact on the healthcare industry, with the region spending about US$6 billion in 2007, and this is expected to grow in the coming years.
6. Healthcare is only one of the economic sectors that we see increased usage of infocomm technology and demand for infocomm professionals. Many other sectors are experiencing the same surge for infocomm technology adoption and employment.
7. In Singapore, the infocomm industry saw a double-digit growth of almost 14 per cent to reach close to S$52 billion in revenues in 2007. Correspondingly, our infocomm employment rate also achieved a new high of almost 9 percent growth, reaching about 130,000 employed last year. Job opportunities in infocomm are abound in Singapore driven by demand in areas such as technology research and development, digital media, web development, infocomm security, infocomm consultancy and project management, to name a few.
Heading Towards An Intelligent Nation, Powered By Infocomm
8. Singapore’s infocomm sector is a vibrant one where multinational companies (MNCs) and local infocomm enterprises co-exist in an ecosystem of knowledge and R&D exchange. The range of businesses and activities undertaken by companies are wide, ranging from innovation centres, development centres, to sales and marketing offices. To sustain the infocomm industry’s growth and drive Singapore’s economic competitiveness in the global economy, it is critical that we continue to develop a pool of high quality infocomm professionals.
9. Going forward, the infocomm industry will need professionals who possess business and management skills over and above handling technical responsibilities. Those who possess strong technical skills and industry domain knowledge are much sought after. In participating in the Java Jive challenge, you have been exposed to software programming skills and also an understanding of how the healthcare industry works. It is this combination of technical plus industry domain knowledge that is in high demand.
Conclusion
10. Infocomm will continue to shape the way we live, learn, work and play. I encourage you to maintain your passion and interest in infocomm as the opportunities for you in the infocomm industry are bright.
11. On this note, I would like to wish you all the best in today’s Regional Finals. I would also like to record my thanks to Sun Microsystems and ITE for their efforts in organising the Java Jive Regional Challenge 2008. Thank you.
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