Goodbye 2005, welcome 2006! How time flies, in just a blink of an eye, we’ve ushered in a brand new year. As we take stock of our achievements for the past year, I can’t help but think to myself what an exciting year 2005 has been for everyone at ITE. First we saw the launch of the ITE Advantage, our new Five-Year Strategic Plan that signified the beginning of our Third Wave of Transformation. The much awaited ITE College East which represented a new benchmark for technical education both locally and overseas also became operational in January. Following which, our unique ITE Brand of Hands-on, Minds-on and Hearts-on College Education also earned a rare accolade from our Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally 2005. To top it all off, we became the First Education Institution in Singapore to win the coveted Singapore Quality Award (SQA).
Indeed, 2005 has been an exceptional year for ITE. With
the attainment of SQA, where do we go from here? One obvious
challenge lies in moving beyond the SQA. We need to continue
to aspire towards attaining ITE’s vision of becoming A
Global Leader in Technical Education. To
prepare us for the challenges ahead, our Senior Management
Team has already come out with three possible Corporate
themes for fiscal year 2006. All three themes, which were
formulated at the Senior Management Strategic Review Workshop
in November 2005, aims to propel ITE to the next peak of
excellence. They will be unveiled at the Corporate Work
Plan Seminar for discussion and ranking by staff. The theme
that eventually garners the most votes from staff will
be selected as the 2006 ITE Corporate Theme. Eager to find
out what are the three possible themes? Check out Foo
Yoke Ying’s article now!
World-Class Beyond Doubt
t’s almost four months since it was announced that ITE is the First Education Institution in Singapore to win the Singapore Quality Award (SQA). Apart from celebrating our achievement of the pinnacle award for world-class organisational excellence, ITE has not let up on its quest for organisational excellence. On the contrary, we are working harder to ensure that we live up to the high expectations that come with the award. At the same time, we have also been busy sharing our experiences on the SQA journey with organisations who are also keen to apply for the coveted SQA award. For a start, Dr Law Song Seng, D/ITE, took the lead by walking the 300-strong audience at the SQA Winners’ Sharing Session through ITE’s trail-blazing transformation as well as by sharing our unique winning factors. Curious to find out more about Dr Law’s sharing? Read Yong Tsuey Ling’s article for the details now!
ITE Staff, We Salute You!
It has always been ITE’s tradition to set aside one special evening to pay tribute to our staff and public members for their dedicated service, commitment and valued contributions to ITE. This year, the grand occasion – ITE Awards Presentation Ceremony – fell on 4 November 2005. Some 385 staff and 19 public members were honoured for their invaluable service and contributions to technical education. Guest-of-Honour and Chairman/ITE, Mr Eric Gwee, thanked them for their support as well as encouraged staff to inject a global perspective in their work. He also reiterated that even as we continue in our quest of global excellence for ITE, we should not forget the importance of the ITE Care Values for they help bring about better synergy and camaraderie among us all. In his article, R Vijayakumar gives an overview of that unforgettable night, including the new challenges announced by Chairman.
Doing ITE Proud at the International Convention of Quality Control Circles
Kudos to Business Challenge, an Innovation & Learning Circle from ITE College Central (Bishan Campus), for doing ITE proud at the International Convention of Quality Control Circles (ICQCC) in Changwon, Korea from 8 to 11 November 2005. Not only did the team share their innovative and award winning project at the convention, they also listened and tapped on the ideas and experiences of other QC practitioners from all over the world. How does it feel to be able to rub shoulders and share thoughts with other QC experts and enthusiasts? More importantly, what is the team’s formula for success? Wonder no more. Check out Madeleine Chua’s article for the answers to these questions and more.
Service that Makes a Difference
How does one provide Service that Makes a Difference? It’s very simple actually. Just remember to add in the element of “CARE” in all that you do for our customers. Yet, why is “CARE” so important, you might ask. And how will having the added element of “CARE” actually affect our customers’ service experience with us? More importantly, how does one exhibit “CARE” in our service delivery such that our customers will always remain delighted with us? Let’s hear from Kimberly Tanand find out how showing “CARE” for our customers can go a long way in building up customers’ trust and confidence in ITE’s products and service delivery.
Let’s go ‘Green’
Last issue we introduced to you the team of Green Ambassadors from headquarters and shared with you their ‘green’ work. This issue, let’s turn our attention to Yeo-Choo Poh Lian, Tan Choon Huat, Tan Keng Hua, Lim Yew Meng, Sng-Yong Suet Ping Marcia and Terence Tan, our Green Ambassadors from ITE College Central and GSVTC. Let’s find out what this team of environmentalists has up their sleeves when it comes to walking the ‘green’ talk.
At the same time, we’re also proud to present to you the three winning entries of the “small ideas, BIG DIFFERENCE” environmental competition that was launched in October 2005. Held by the ITE Environmental Management Committee to solicit good, innovative ideas on environment protection and resource conservation, the environmental competition attracted a total of 28 entries from staff. Can’t wait to find out what gave the three winning entries their edge over the other submissions? Read the write-ups prepared by our winners now!
New Man at the Helm!
The name Mok Soh Hah is not unfamiliar to many in ITE, especially to those who are also members of the Union of ITE Training Staff (UITS). After 13 years of contribution to the union movement in ITE, Mr Mok will be stepping down as President of UITS on 26 November 2005. Taking over the helm will be Mr Fang Wei. Having served in the union since the mid 1990s, Mr Fang is not new to the union members. As we thank Mr Mok for his many years of invaluable service and welcome Mr Fang as the 4th President of UITS, InTunE took the opportunity to speak to the both of them and finds out what makes them tick.
Have a story that you’d just love to share with us? Why wait? Simply send them to the editor now. Tokens of appreciation will be presented to staff whose stories get selected for publication in InTunE Hurry! We look forward to hearing from you soon!
