WHY DEVELOP THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES?

For over four decades, Singapore has prospered through an investment-led economic strategy focused on traditional manufacturing and services industries. As we transit into an innovation-fuelled economy, the driving force in the next phase of our development will be the imaginative and creative capacity of our people. The new architects of the global economic landscape are those who apply their imagination, creativity and knowledge to generate new ideas and create new value. Multi-dimensional creativity - artistic and literary creativity, design innovation, business entrepreneurship and technological innovation - will be the new currency of success. 

Worldwide, the creative cluster (arts and culture, design and media) has been observed to be among the fastest growing sectors of developed economies such as the UK and the US. In the European Union, the overall growth of the creative sector’s value added was 19.7 per cent in 1999–2003. Its turnover amounted to over €654 billion in 2003, contributing to 2.6 per cent of the European Union’s gross domestic product (GDP) and accounting for 3.1 per cent of total employment, or 5.8 million jobs. In the United Kingdom, the creative industries contributed to 7.3 per cent of gross value added in 2005, with annual growth of 6 per cent during 1997–2005, generating nearly 2 million jobs; exports of creative services totalled ₤14.6 billion, or 4.5 per cent of all goods and services exported[1] . Other countries such as China[2] also see the creative industries as a key engine of economic growth and are investing in resources to develop the cluster. It is clear that many countries now see the creative industries as a key competitive advantage in the globalised economy. Ideas and imagination have become valuable assets and drivers of economic opportunities and growth. Singapore cannot be any different. We must harness creativity and the power of innovation to forge ahead in a competitive and globalised economy. To succeed and thrive, Singapore must tap on the creative cluster (arts and culture, design, media) and recognise them as one of the vanguards of economic growth.
Creative industries not only contribute towards the economy directly, they also have a powerful, indirect impact on the rest of the economy - by adding style, aesthetics and freshness to differentiate our products and services. The creative industries also improves our quality of life and make Singapore more vibrant by stimulating awareness and demand for the arts, design and media products and services.	How the Creative Cluster can benefit Singapore • Direct GDP contribution, exports and job creation • Differentiating products and services across all economic sectors • Enhance Singapore's creative buzz and international profile • Augment the creative capacity of our people
WHAT ARE THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES? Many countries use different definitions for their Creative Industries. In Singapore, the Creative Industries are defined as “industries which are inspired by cultural and artistic creativity and have the potential to create economic value through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property”. This definition is adapted from the UK definition in the Creative Industries Mapping Document (Nov 1998) by the UK Creative Industries Taskforce. In Singapore, the Creative Industries are broadly classified into the arts, media, design and software & IT services.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

 

MICA is spearheading the Creative Industries Development Strategy (CIDS) to contribute towards the Economic Review Committee's (ERC) vision of a diversified, entrepreneurial and globalised economy for Singapore. ERC has identified the creative industries as one of the three new and promising service areas to promote, besides education and healthcare in 2003.

 

MICA is adopting a national collaborative approach involving all relevant government agencies, industry players and stakeholders to develop this new and promising industry sector. The key focus of efforts has been to build the fundamentals of this industry by developing creative capabilities, stimulating sophisticated demand and strengthening industry players to become credible and significant players in the global creative landscape.

 

With a vision to develop “A vibrant and self-sustaining creative cluster to propel Singapore's Creative Economy”, the CIDS comprises the following industry-specific blueprints:

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[1] Background paper prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat, Secretary-General’s high-level panel on the creative economy and industries for development, Jan 2008  

Complementing the CIDS is Creative Community Singapore (CCS), a key initiative of MICA that seeks to position Singapore as a Land of Opportunity by supporting the national drive to develop the Creative Industries. It is an integral part of the Creative Industries Development Strategy. 

Officially launched in July 2005 in partnership with the Private, People and Public sectors, CCS is a bottom-up approach to revitalise Singapore’s economy, by nurturing creative talents, stimulating creative ideas and cultivating creative enterprises from ground up. CCS aims to empower individuals and organisations to initiate and pilot cutting edge projects that will unleash individual and community creativity and entrepreneurship, building demand and capabilities for the Creative Industries. It is a unique people-private-public collaborative platform providing various levels of support, including facilitation, co-branding, marketing and co-funding.

 

Capability Development for the Creative Industries

 

To fully exploit the potential of the Creative Industries, we need talents that are able to craft compelling stories, design attractive must-have products, create inspiring works of art, or pursue entrepreneurial business ventures.

 

MICA agencies such as DesignSingapore, the Media Development Authority and the National Arts Council have put in place capability development programmes including scholarships, workshops and conferences.

 

Resources:
Read ERC's Subcommittee Report on Creative Industries. 
Download our Creative Industries Development Strategy brochure and Ministry of Trade and Industry's paper, Economic Contributions of Singapore's Creative Industries.
You can also read aboutDesignSingapore in DesignSingapore's website and Media 21 in MDA's website and Creative Community Singapore in CCS' website. 

Creative Industries Workforce Skills Qualification (CI WSQ) is an initiative to upgrade the capabilities of our creative manpower. A joint effort by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), MICA and industry players, the CI WSQ is a national credentialing system that trains, develops, assesses, and recognises the creative industries workforce for competencies they need to stay employable. Training programmes will be rolled out in phases in the coming year, based on the needs of the industry. Under this framework, the Creative Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) that aims to develop entrepreneurial capacity in creative talents will be piloted by WDA and Creative Community Singapore in 2008.

 

The Creative Industries Scholarships is another important initiative to nurture and develop talent for a creative and innovation driven economy. A plethora of scholarships are available across the arts, heritage, design and media sectors offered by the National Arts Council, National Heritage Board, DesignSingapore Council and the Media Development Authority are available in 2008. 

 

Planning for the Future – Second Phase of the Creative Industries Development Strategy

 

Building on the efforts of CIDS 1.0, MICA is now spearheading a whole-of-government effort in strategising for the next phase of Singapore’s Creative Industries development, or what is called CIDS 2.0. CIDS 2.0 seeks to build a healthy creative ecosystem that contributes to the economic and cultural development of Singapore. It will recommend strategies and initiatives to exploit new opportunities, address strategic gaps, integrate and synergise action plans across the government