Products and services available in the society are increasingly complex
Life-long learning is inevitable needed
Why KM in knowledge-base business economy?
Foster innovation
By encouraging the free flow of ideas
Improve customer service
By streamlining response time
Boost revenues
By getting products and services to market faster
Enhance employee retention rates
By recognizing the value of employees’ knowledge and rewarding them for it
Streamline operations and reduce costs
By eliminating redundant or unnecessary processes
The role of IT in KM
Information technology, by itself is not KM
However,
KM is often facilitated by IT
IT provides solutions to KM
IT is a tool to increase the “efficiency” and “capability” of KM
facilitates document management, data storage, access of information, the dissemination, exchange and sharing of ideas
IT, as a facilitator of KM
Knowledge management
Knowledge
Creating more values via IT…
Enhancing efficiency!
Higher productivity!
IT
Upcoming Issues in ICT in next 24 months
New Strategic Framework for Innovation and Technology Development
CEPA3
VoIP
Broadband Wireless Access (BWA)
Merger of Broadcasting Authority (BA) and Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)
IPv6
STEPS campaign to fight against spam
Professional development and Qualifications framework
The new strategic framework
Focus - to identify key technology focus areas where Hong Kong has competitive advantages
Market relevance - to adopt a demand-led, market-driven approach in driving the innovation and technology programme
Industry participation - to closely involve the industry in defining the key focus areas and other stages of innovation and technology development
The new strategic framework
Leverage on the Mainland - to utilize the production base in the Greater PRD as the platform for developing our applied R&D; and commercialization of applied R&D; deliverables
Better coordination - to strengthen coordination among various technology-related institutions and the industry
Aim to be the de-facto hub for HK and PRD-based companies to conduct R&D; activities
Role of the centre:
Conduct industry-oriented research
Provide a platform for the exchange of IP and technology
Engage in technology development, transfer and knowledge dissemination
IP commercialisation
Projects instantiated in 05-06 by ASTRI
Projects instantiated in 05-06 by ASTRI
Digital entertainment
Set up an Incubation-cum-training Center at Cyberport
Support start-up local digital entertainment companies
Aims to nurture up to 45 local companies
Provide rent free office space, equipment and advanced digital media production facilities at favorable terms
Business development, promotion & marketing, partnership matching, technology & entrepreneurship training also be provided at subsidized rate
Next step…
The admin support the proposals submitted by various R&D; institutes / universities
ICT R&D; Center – at a maximum ITF funding of $1700M for 5 years
Operation cost: $292.9 m
R&D; project cost: $1799.3 m
Incubation-cum-training Center at Cyberport – $30.77M for 40 months
Centers can be set up in late 2005 if amount of funding have to be approved by the Finance Committee of Legco
CEPA3
CEPA 1 in Oct 2003:
Liberalized 5 telecom value-added services
CEPA 2 in Jan 2004, HK companies/ residents are allowed to:
Apply computer information system integration (SI) qualification certification
Sit for the qualification examinations for computing technology and software professionals
Set up internet culture business units and internet online service business premises
CEPA 3:
To be concluded by CPG & HKSARG in mid-2005
IT industry organized a CEPA3 Forum in May 2005 to articulate their wish
CEPA3 - Industry’s wish list
Provide national treatment for HK’s IT businesses
Include Hong Kong made software in the scope of “Mainland good & services” under the Government Procurement Law
Accelerate the exchange of knowledge between HK-PRC
To enhance training, education, and networking of IT professionals of both places in a view to help improve competitiveness of IT practitioners in the Mainland
To facilitate the set-up of branches or chapters for international professional associations
CEPA3 - Industry’s wish list
Recognize HK as a designated center of IT activities
Promote the collaboration between Hong Kong and Mainland on the matter of IPR
Establish PRD Telecom Special Zone
Allow HK digital entertainment companies to obtain majority shareholding in Mainland-HK joint venture and follow the same track of content scrutiny
Incorporate HK into the Mainland’s ICT roadmap
Relax the Value-added tax collection policy
VoIP
Industry consultation closed on 4 Dec 04
Minimum and proportionate level of regulation to be applied to VoIP
Upheld “technology neutrality” principle
The administration propose a two-tier regulatory framework:
BA and OFTA as two separate entities which operate under different legislative framework and institutional basis in dealing with broadcasting and telecoms industry respectively
The basis of merger
Convergence of communications technologies and markets
Broadcasting/telecoms services
Mobile/broadcasting services
Fixed/mobile service
Merger of BA and OFTA
Worldwide examples of merger
In the UK, Office of Communications (Ofcom) is formed by merging the functions of five regulatory bodies:
the Independent Television Commission, the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Office of Telecommunications, the Radio Authority and the Radiocommunications Agency.
In Australia, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) was established on July 1, 2005 by merging the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) and the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA).
Merger of BA and OFTA
The new institutional framework
A single regulatory body
To formulate quick and coordinated responses to facilitate the provision of the emerging services
To put in place appropriate measures to safeguard public interests
Regulatory philosophies
Adopt competition-based regulation
Reduce its rule-making role
Keep regulation to a minimum
An active tripartite arrangement
As a partner with the stakeholders from the industry and the public
IPv6
The move to IPv6 is gathering momentum in Asian countries
the Mainland
Japan
Korea
Singapore
These countries have worked on the overall requirements for the IPv6 network, neighbor configuration, stateless address collocation and mobile IPv6 applications
IPv6
Factors to be considered for HK migrating to IPv6
Local demand for Internet services based on IPv6
Technical maturity of IPv6
The availability of applications that can make the best use of IPv6 features – waiting for the so-called “killer application”
HK is still “watching” over the IPv6 development
IPv6
Factors to be considered for HK Development in the past
Early 2003 – An Internet2 Project was launched to provide academic and research services, including IPv6 to universities in HK
Mar 2004 – the Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX) started operation of HK IPv6 Exchange (HK6IX)
IPv6
Development in progress
The Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC) to offer IPv6 domain name services in 2006
The Government set up a liaison group
to ensure timely and smooth communication
to share knowledge and experience among stakeholders of Internet infrastructure
to monitor progress on development and adoption of IPv6 in HK
The Government to include IPv6 as a technical standard in future review of its Interoperability Framework.
Fax – penalize advertisers who continue to spam recipients on the “not-to-call” list by reducing the timeframe required to cut off their access to telecom services
SMS/MMS – extend existing dole of practice for mobile network operators
Technical solutions
Collaborate with the industry to organize seminars, conferences and exhibitions to promote the latest anti-spam technical solutions
The regulation of SPAM
Education
Campaign to raise the level of public awareness
Partnerships
Develop a common blacklist to filter spam at local ISP level
Statutory measures
Enact legislation to regulate spamming
Full draft legislation to be introduced to LegCo next year
IT Professionalization
Profession….
“… the practice of it directly influences human well-being and requires mastery of a complex body of knowledge and specialized skills which are acquired through formal education and practical experience.”
The Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science
Yes, because
our society has become highly dependent upon the use of IT;
IT professionals are required to have practical experience;
IT professionals have to undergo formal education & training for performing IT-related jobs.
IT professionalization - PRC
Computing technology and software qualification examination 中國計算機技術與軟件專業技術資格（水平）考試
One of the popular IT exams in the Mainland, more than 1 million candidates joined this exam (as at the end of 2003)
5 examination areas with 3 levels
software, network, application technology, information system, information services
National recognized, monitored by MII
A Test Center was set up in Hong Kong in Aug 2004
Hong Kong citizens could join the exam in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Institution of Engineers - Information discipline
The only legal recognition for IT professional in HK
Provide a legal path for information engineers to register
Qualified IT professionals may register as professional engineers under Information discipline, HKIE
IT Professionalization – HK
Apart from the path of HKIE, how can we further promote IT profession?
Actively working on Reciprocal Recognition Agreements with various countries/regions, e.g. Australia, UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Africa, Ireland
Mutual recognition with British Computer Society (BCS)
Promote IT professionalism by accreditation
IT Professionalization – HK
Latest development: Reciprocal Recognition between HKIE and Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS)
HKCS full members can apply Registered Professional Engineer (RPE), a recognized statutory registration in Hong Kong
HKIE (information discipline)
HKCS (Full member)
Are these paths sufficient to fulfill the needs of IT professionals?
Shall we need an entirely new registration system?
IT Professionalization – HK
A consultation paper on Introducing a Registration System for IT Professionals was published in July 2002
Consensus of the IT-related bodies:
Registration system would benefit the long-term development of IT sector
A working group was formed in 2003
Members come from 17 IT-related organizations
Served as a focal point for members of the industry to give advice and recommendations on this issue
HKIE is the coordinator of the working group.
The way forward:
Conduct a review
Industrial consultation
Reach consensus
Accreditation System
Proposed Registration Framework for IT Professionals
Academic Formation
A recognized degree in ICT areas or equivalent
Experience Formation
A min. 4 (or 5) year relevant post-graduation experience in ICT related professions
A commonly accepted policy of recognizing / accrediting an academic qualification & relevant experience should have been established at the parent qualifying body
Proposed Registration Framework for IT Professionals
Assessment Mechanism
One or more: interview, examinations, essay writing
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements
For the purpose of attaining registration or maintenance of registration status
Should be considered and developed at a later stage after establishing and implementing the proposed framework
Non-traditional systems
By means of the concept of Total Professional Formation to qualify those different from the above described framework
Qualifications Framework (QF)
Covers the mainstream, vocational and continuing education sectors
Comprises seven levels, each is characterized by its generic level descriptors which specify the common features of qualifications at the same level
The way forward
However, for our IT sector…
Life-cycle of ICT skill is short
Technologies are ever-changing
Many sub-sector under ICT industry
EMB will set up an Industry Training Advisory Committee (ITAC) for ICT sector shortly
Help to implement QF
Develop an industry training specifications
Formulate a recognition of Prior Learning mechanism
Promote QF
QF can be the basis to support and speed up our work on IT professional registration / certification system
