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Memories from Timor Leste

Degree Not Enough

Seven fine young graduates teaching at the Vietnam-Singapore Technical Training Centre (VSTTC) are thrilled to come to ITE. They count themselves lucky to be chosen among 29 others to undergo ITE’s technical training in Singapore. Never mind that they are already degree holders.

“What I am getting is specialised technical training which is very hands-on. This will supplement my theoretical background and help me impart skills level training to students at VSTTC,” said Mr Pham Dang Manh Quynh, 27, one of the Vietnamese Instructors.

Here as part of ITE’s consultancy in setting up and running the VSTTC, they will undergo intensive training before returning to homeland Vietnam to set up a new Mechatronics Department. Besides running the Department, they will teach ITE-developed Mechatronics course at VSTTC to help the Centre produce graduates with appropriate skills level for employment at the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park.

Lessons in Co Dien Tu
To ensure competence in department set-up and coursework for Mechatronics or Co Dien Tu as it is known in Vietnamese, the VSTTC team undergoes between four and nine months’ training stint. The team, comprising a Co-Head of Department and six Instructors, has begun training since April. The former ended his stint in August while the letter, will complete by December.

Thirty-year-old Mr Nguyen Van Sung, the appointed Vietnamese Co-Head of Department, has undergone Department Management Training, mentored by Mr Chua Kheng Hern, Project Officer of VSTTC, along with Mr Derek Loh, Section Head of Mechatronics at ITE West (Balestier). Mr Chua, who has been deployed to VSTTC since January, is ITE’s former Head of Department in Mechatronics.

As for the six Instructors who will be conducting lessons in Mechatronics back at the VSTTC, they undergo similar training with a greater emphasis on Technical Skills. While the mode of instruction there is in Vietnamese, they have had to go through seven weeks of intensive English. This will enable them to follow ITE’s Mechatronics Skills Training and help them translate the curriculum and teaching materials from English into their mother tongue.

Starting from Scratch
“Starting a new department means having to take care of everything from A to Z,” said Mr Chua. He went on to explain: “My role is to help VSTTC get the Mechatronics Department up and running. The Department is scheduled to operate in January 2004 and the course will commence in March for an intake of 64 students. I will help run the Department and be a mentor to the Vietnamese Co-Head of Department until December 2005.”

The Mechatronics course to be offered at VSTTC will be clustered into four core skill modules, namely, Mechanical Technology, Electrical Technology, Electronics Technology and Industrial Automation & Computer-Aided Drawing. Seventy per cent of the curriculum time will be spent on practical training to better equip students with specific skill competencies.

Prior to the introduction of Mechatronics, VSTTC offers courses in Electrical Maintenance, Electronics, Machining and Mechanical Maintenance, with ITE as its Technical Training Consultant. The VSTTC is a government-to-government project and bilateral ties are enhanced through the transfer of knowledge, equipment and human resource.