SPEECH BY MR BRUCE POH, DIRECTOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, AT THE SHELL LIVEWIRE AWARD CEREMONY 2007 ON THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2007, AT ITE HQ AUDITORIUM

 

Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Ms Mavis Kuek, General Manager/External Affairs, SHELL Companies in Singapore

Mr Roger Lee, President, ITE Alumni Association

Mr Lim Huan Chiang, Vice-President of Editorial Services, Chinese Newspapers Division, Singapore Press Holdings

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

Introduction

1          Good morning and a very warm welcome to ITE. We are especially pleased that Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Minister for Entrepreneurship, has taken time this morning to join us for this ceremony.

2          ITE is pleased to partner the Shell Companies in Singapore, the ITE Alumni Association and Singapore Press Holdings, Chinese Newspapers Division, to be part of a social enterprise that promotes entrepreneurship among youths in Singapore.

3          As an education institution, we place strong emphasis on innovation and enterprise as part of our holistic education for students. ITE students have fared well, winning numerous local and international awards in business and technology-related competitions. ITE graduates have also shown strong inclination towards entrepreneurship. In our 2005 Survey of Graduates who have been in the job market for 10 years, 4% have started their own businesses, up from 3% in the last survey done in 2002. We hope to see a rising trend in future surveys.

 

ITE Initiatives to Encourage Spirit of Enterprise

4          ITE has spearheaded a number of initiatives to promote innovation and enterprise among ITE students. Among them is building flexibility in our curriculum - to provide opportunities for students to take up multi-disciplinary and cross-level electives. With this, an engineering student who is keen in entrepreneurship can then take up business-related modules to broaden his skills.

5          In July this year, ITE co-organised a Global Student Seminar with the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council, where 300 ITE students went to Hong Kong to exchange ideas with 300 of their counterparts at the Institutes of Vocational Education. Through industry visits, presentations and discussions, they gained first-hand exposure to the vibrant and entrepreneurial economy of Hong Kong. We hope that such activities and cross-fertilisation of ideas could spark off creative ideas with business potential among the students.

6          To encourage ITE students see their ideas to fruition, a number of initiatives have also been put in place. These include:

• The establishment of a SEED Centre in ITE College East. SEED, which stands for Student Enterprise Education and Development, was set up to provide a one-stop centre for students with good business ideas to receive advice and guidance from staff, to jump-start these ideas.

• Entrepreneurship Clubs at Colleges have been set up to encourage students to raise funds for seed money, such as renting push carts to carry out small businesses and evaluate their feasibility.

• And finally, Technopreneurship Incubation Centres have also been established with ITE Alumni as mentors, to provide young Singaporeans with skills to pursue entrepreneurship as a viable career option.

 

ITE Alumni Members’ Achievements

7          In fact, many ITE graduates and alumni have done very well in business; locally and overseas. Jason Sim, Singapore’s Parquet king, who was one of the Merit winners in the 2001 Shell LiveWIRE Award, is a good example. His parquet business has expanded into South East Asia. Roger Lee, our very own ITE Alumni Association Chairman, is also doing very well in his business. His company has since grown from a local company to having factories in China and other parts of South East Asia.

8          What is significant about our ITE alumni-turned-entrepreneurs is that many of them have returned to ITE, to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs and young graduates who are starting out in business. Others have offered places for industry attachment in their factories and establishments, including plants in China and South East Asia, to help ITE students gain real-work experience and global exposure.

 

Conclusion

9          The Shell LiveWIRE Awards programme has been successful and meaningful. It is with pleasure to note that past winners of the Award have gone on to do well in their businesses. Sam Yap, Executive Chairman of Cherie Hearts Child Development and winner of the 2005 Shell LiveWIRE Awards, is a fine example of a budding entrepreneur, whose business has expanded significantly since winning the award - not only in Singapore, but in Vietnam and Australia.

10         I would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued partners in the Shell LiveWIRE programme for their support and contributions:

• The SHELL Companies in Singapore

• ITE Alumni Association, and

• Chinese Newspapers Division, Singapore Press Holdings.

 

11         My best wishes to all aspiring entrepreneurs and Award winners. Thank you.