Applying SDF Funding. How hard can it be?

Disclaimer: My experience only. Others may differ. Pictures are correct as on Nov 2, 2010.

A 3 hour chronicle of my office life in overseeing non-productive work such as SDF application with some Sg govn't agencies/org.


First I goto SDF website. They ask me to register.


So I press link and they tell me more things. So I press Company Registration since its my company that wants to send staff for skill upgrading as fiercely promoted by MOM.


Then SDF tells me this is not the site to register. Go to another place called SkillConnect. The impression I get here is "Get lost & dont' bug us"b'cos there's not even a courtesy link to SkillConnect website.


So I googled and found where SkillConnect is and I try to register here. I click on "Register For Company Account"......


And it tells me that I need Singpass, ID, etc to login and ask me to press "Proceed". Ok. I follow instruction and press....


....which brings me to Singpass login screen. Enter my details and.....


...it ask me for my company registration number. I enter accordingly and then......


Eh? What? "....not registered with e-Services Authorisation System (EASY)".

Now SkillConnect ask me to go register with EASY first before coming here.
Again, no courtesy link to EASY website.

Come-on, man.....SDF funding only mah. make it so difficult. Not like I need Presidential approval to touch the Reserve or something.

Ok nevermind. I google and found EASY. So I go there....


So EASY instruction says...."To begin Authorisation....." . So I enter my SingPass and ID again.


Now EASY ask me to enter my company registration number . But wait a minute...see that "e-Services Access Code" thingy? Where am I suppose to get that code from?


Answer: I'm suppose to download a mail-in form to request for that code.....

All this done, now I have to mail this form out by traditional snailmail to IRA to get that secret handshake code and when it arrives, I have to repeat all the above again.

Wait a minute, after I mail in this form, will they bound, gag me and drag me to a cold cold room underground to interrogate why am I going through all this trouble to get that super secret code thingy and need this funding for and whom I want to associate this fund with.......

Better not mail this form lah. Just to claim a $28 funding from SDF.........EASY, meh?