Milestone in IT Professional Development

The industry has long hoped to develop industry standards on IT manpower to establish professional status of IT professionals, and ensure quality IT service being delivered. I am glad that the three IT professionalism initiatives, Qualification Framework, IT Professional Certification Registration System (ITPCRS), and the Working Group for Registration System for IT Professionals have made significant progress recently.

The Qualification Framework, led by the Education and Manpower Bureau, aims to establish yardsticks for skills that are essential to IT professionals, for example project management, information security, operations and support, etc. The framework will provide directions for employers to compile skill requirements for a particular job title, and allows IT professionals to plan their future professional development. It will also allow IT professionals measure their competency against industry standards. The drafted competency standards for the Information and Communication Technology industry (ICT) were released in February 2007. The consultation exercise was completed in May and the scheme is expected be launched shortly.

ITPCRS, led by Hong Kong Computer Society, also made significant progress in this year. In December 2006, the scheme launched their Hong Kong IT Professional Certification (HKITPC), with 2 top titles available for certification application: IT Project Director and IT System Architect. The certification was well received by the industry, and had more than a hundred applicants. The scheme was supported by 30 major industry players, by recognizing the certified professional titles and encouraging their IT staff to undertake continuous professional development (CPD) to attain relevant professional certification.

In mid 2006, the Working group for Registration System for IT Professionals had completed their final report on basic principles including definition of IT professionals, their work area and duties. It is expected that in the future the workgroup will be focused on the operations and legal requirements of the system.

The industry has collaborated with each other and strives to establish the professional status. I will continue to participate in these schemes and popularize the importance of IT professionalism in various channels.

Qualification Framework – Competency Standards for ICT industry
http://www.hkqf.gov.hk/guie/SCS_consult_ict.asp

Hong Kong IT Professional Certification
http://www.hkcs.org.hk/itpcrs/eng/

Working group for Registration System for IT Professionals
http://www.hkie.org.hk/html/Events&Activities/Others/ITWorkingGp.htm

Aug 2007

Hong Kong TV service goes digital

In June 2007, the Government announced that Hong Kong will adopt the national standard of digital terrestrial television (DTTV). The Government also completed the consultation on the provision of mobile TV service and related spectrum issues.

This is a new landmark on the development of digital broadcasting in Hong Kong. In the past years, I have urged the government to promote digitalization in television and radio broadcasting. By going digital, both the public and the industry will benefit from the improved reception quality. It is also a good opportunity for the government to setup public access channel to promote cultural diversity, as digital broadcasting is expected to increase the number of channels by four folds.

For the industry, the consumer electronics sector will definitely benefit from the development, which sales of digital device is expected to soar after the launch of DTTV service. The digital content industry will also benefit on this new delivery platform, as innovative and mobile oriented content will be attractive to consumers. Interactive service including online shopping can be delivered in the DTTV platform, while location-based service will have a great potential in mobile TV platform.

The government, however, should be more proactive in deploying new technologies. I will continue to monitor the progress on the adoption of new technologies, including digital audio broadcasting and mobile TV, to ensure our broadcasting services are among one of the best in the world.

Digital TV thematic website
http://www.digitaltv.gov.hk

Aug 2007