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Senior Minister of State Ms Sim Ann oral reply to PQ on secondment of public officers to TACs

3 April 2017

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​Question:

Mr Thomas Chua: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) if he can provide a progress update on (i) the plan to second up to 20 public officers to interested Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) under the Local Enterprise and Association Development-Plus programme and (ii) the status of the $30 million that was set aside in Budget 2016 to support TACs to develop their capabilities.

Oral reply (to be attributed to Senior Minister of State Ms Sim Ann)


1.The Local Enterprise and Association Development-Plus (LEAD+) programme was introduced at Budget 2016 to help Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) raise their internal competencies. Through LEAD+ projects, TACs can strengthen their leadership and secretariat teams, improve organisational processes, and deliver new and value-added services to their members. The LEAD+ programme is an expansion of the existing LEAD programme, which supports TACs in implementing industry initiatives.

2.As of March 2017, SPRING has approved 8 LEAD+ projects, at up to $8.1 mil in total funding. These projects are spearheaded by the Federation of Merchants’ Associations, Singapore (FMAS), Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA), Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), Singapore Precision Engineering and Technology Association (SPETA), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS). We expect more TACs to be coming on board over the next few years.

3.Under LEAD+, support is available for the secondment of public officers to TACs to help strengthen their management and processes as well as drive industry transformation. Efforts to second public officers to TACs are not new. Over the past five years, SPRING has been active in seconding officers to TACs on a project basis, to drive implementation of key programmes such as the SME Talent Programme and SMEs Centres. Under this arrangement, 13 officers have been seconded since 2013.

4.Since the launch of LEAD+ in 2016, two more officers have confirmed their secondment with TACs. For example, one officer from SPRING has been seconded to SFMA to assist them in strengthening their internal management capabilities. This includes developing a succession plan for leadership renewal, putting in place systems to better engage and manage members, and enhancing the existing governance framework. We will continue to facilitate more of such win-win secondment arrangements for interested TACs. 

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