About IPCF

Introduction

The Intellectual Property Competency Framework ("IPCF") has been developed by IPOS to define the competencies required for key IP professionals and practitioners in the industry and accredit the attainment of these competencies into Continuing Professional Development qualifications that are recognised by the industry.

The IPCF is a strategic tool to transform IP manpower development by continuously advancing their professional competencies through quality training and skills upgrading. Overseeing the development of the IPCF will be a Steering Committee comprising key industry players, with expertise in developing and validating the competency standards provided by Working Committees from different sub-sectors.

The IPCF encompasses job families across different sub-sectors such as
IP Research, IP Protection, IP Finance, IP Technology Incubation, IP Exploitation,
IP Enforcement, and Industry-Specific.

Under the IPCF, four key IP occupational levels have been identified, with
sixty-three competency units initially created. These will be developed and validated into standards with key industry experts from the IP services sector, academia, and the legal profession.

IPOS is also partnering with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to create a new sector for IP in Singapore under the Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) system and a new framework known as IP WSQ.

The IPCF will continue to evolve so as to stay relevant to industry needs.

The Need for the IPCF

The IPCF has been developed in view of building a globally competitive workforce.  It seeks to map out the competencies required by various IP-related functions and define the standards for each of the competencies.

The IPCF aims to:

• Articulate the competencies required for key IP professionals and practitioners to carry out their occupation effectively;

• Provide guidelines for training providers in their design of training and certification programmes for IP professionals and practitioners and ensure quality assurance in corresponding training and assessment;

• Act as a human resource guide for employers to plan their staff training and professional development programmes with regards to IP matters; and

• Act as a career guide for IP professionals and practitioners by outlining the competencies needed for professional development and career progression.