CLOSING ADDRESS BY MR BOB TAN BENG HAI, CHAIRMAN/ITE, AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE ITE-VTC STUDENT SEMINAR 2007 ON 6 JULY 2007, AT IVE (TSING YI), HONG KONG


The Honourable Mr Andrew Leung, Chairman/Vocational Training Council (VTC)

Dr Carrie Willis, Executive Director/Vocational Training Council

Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO/Institute of Technical Education (ITE)

Staff and Students from Hong Kong VTC and ITE Singapore

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Good morning


Introduction
   
1

It is a privilege for me to be here the last two days, to witness a historical moment in the partnership between Hong Kong VTC and ITE Singapore. This joint Seminar signifies a new stage in collaboration between the two institutions since the signing of our first Memorandum of Understanding for Co-operation in Vocational & Technical Education in 1998. The people-to-people exchanges gained through this seminar will further strengthen the friendship and bonds built over the years.
   
2

For this, I would like to thank our host, Hong Kong VTC, in particular, Mr Andrew Leung, Dr Carrie Willis and VTC staff for your gracious hospitality and friendship.
   
3

The last two days have been a valuable experience for all of us. Personally, I have enjoyed the robust discussions by students and witnessed the camaraderie between students and staff from both institutions. I have also benefited from the visits to your training centres at Pokfulam Training Centre Complex and the Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) Kwun Tong.
   
4

Now, let us reflect on what we have learnt over the past two days and how we can go forward from here.
   
 

Students’ Learning Outcomes
   
5
On Day One, we had insightful views of the opportunities and challenges brought about by globalisation from Mr Toh Hock Ghim, the Singapore Consul-General to Hong Kong and the four distinguished Panel Speakers. This morning, VTC and ITE students took centre stage with your enlightening and confident presentations of Action-based Projects which you had done. You have also gained much from the Seminar speeches, sharing and deliberations. The question is: What do all these mean to you – for your studies, your career and your life? What difference can you make in the lives of others around you – your family, your friends and your community at large?
   
6

For our ITE students especially, the industry visits and city explorations have allowed you to catch a glimpse of Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial culture, economic vibrancy and service excellence first-hand. I believe the insights you have gained far exceed what you can learn from books alone. When you return to Singapore, I hope you will share this experience with other ITE students. More importantly, I hope the Seminar has provided you with a global mindset and the impetus to think of how you can continue to serve the wider community with the skills you have and the values you hold.
   
   

Future ITE-VTC Collaborations
   
7

On a higher level, the close partnership between the ITE and VTC has been further strengthened with the organisation of this joint Student Seminar. Despite the many challenges faced in organising a seminar of this scale, I am pleased that staff from both institutions have developed a harmonious working relationship.
   
8

T his bodes well for both institutions, and paves the way for more collaborative spin-offs in staff and student exchange and project collaborations. Hong Kong has many best practices we can learn from. ITE also has niche areas and strengths in which we can share. We will look for common grounds for win-win collaborations.
   
   

Acknowledgements
   
9

On behalf of the ITE Board of Governors and Management, let me take this opportunity to express our appreciation to:

The HK VTC for co-organising this special event, and the Joint Organising Committee for making this seminar possible;

All the organisations, VTC training & development centres and IVE campuses, that have kindly hosted the industry visits for the students and staff from ITE; and

The Singapore National Youth Council – for co-sponsoring the event. Thank you for increasing the funding support for this year’s seminar.
   
Conclusion
   
10

I hope that this collaboration will be a springboard to further strengthen the linkages and learning opportunities between the VTC and ITE, as we both face increasing challenges of the ever-changing global economy. Thank you.