One Public Service: Stepping Up Transformation (Public Service Week 2018)

Serving our Nation and honouring public officers - One Public Service: Stepping Up Transformation (Public Service Week 2018)

1. This year’s Public Service Week (PSW) will be from 2 to 8 July, where 145,000 public officers in 16 Ministries and more than 60 Statutory Boards will renew their pledge to serve Singapore and Singaporeans with dedication and commitment. With a theme “One Public Service: Stepping Up Transformation”, PSW highlights the focus for the Public Service in the coming years.

2. Reminding public officers about the importance of transformation to deliver better outcomes, Head, Civil Service Leo Yip said, “Public Sector Transformation is the movement for all officers to come on board and make a difference in building Our Future Public Service. These changes will help us be ready for the future, and to do our work and serve the public better into the future. In turn, we can then be a Public Service that builds a better Future Singapore.”

Key events of PSW include:

Istana Reception, 3 July

3. In recognition of their contributions, approximately 600 officers are expected to attend the event hosted by President Halimah Yacob. Minister Chan Chun Sing will also be attending the reception.

Public Sector Transformation ^[1] Awards Reception and Convention, 4 - 5 July 2018 (Resorts World Convention Centre)

4. The event consists of (1) the Public Sector Transformation Awards Reception, (2) a two-day exhibition (3) and the Public Sector Transformation Conference.

   1. The Public Sector Transformation Awards (4 July) recognise individuals and teams from the Public Service for their excellence in service delivery, innovation and best practices, and also recognise agencies for their organisational excellence. 400 awards will be given out to individuals and teams. Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade & Industry and Minister-in-charge of the Public Service will be the Guest-of-Honour to confer the awards.

   2. The Awards merged two previous awards - the Excellence in Public Service Awards and the Excellence through Continuous Enterprise and Learning Awards. The name of the Awards has also been changed to reflect the transformation movement taking place in the public sector.

   3. In conjunction with the Awards Reception, there will also be an exhibition (4-5 July) showcasing transformation efforts within the public sector from over 30 Ministries and Statutory Boards.

   4. The Public Sector Transformation Conference (5 July), themed “Digital Government for a Smart Nation”, aims to inspire public officers to embrace digitalisation and transform the way public officers work and serve the public.

5. Public agencies will also be organising their observance ceremonies to foster a sense of pride and belonging in the Public Service, as well as learning journeys to help officers to better understand the work of colleagues in different agencies.

6. In a video that Public Service Division (PSD) released on 2 July 2018 to mark this year’s PSW, Minister Chan Chun Sing has rallied officers to work together with our entire nation to build a better Singapore for our future generations.

7. 'If we maintain a high level of ambition of what we want to achieve for Singapore, and are determined and disciplined in doing our best for Singapore, then there is absolutely nothing that we cannot achieve together. The key is “together”.

8. We must remain humble to know that we cannot do it alone or that we do not always possess the best ideas. We must go beyond a Whole-of-Government to a Whole-of-Nation approach, and mobilise the entire nation to work together for an even better Singapore for our future generations.'

[1] In 2012, the Public Service embarked on a journey of Public Sector Transformation to build capacity to anticipate and execute change, and build a trusted Public Service.