Speech - Address by Ms Low Khah Gek, CEO/ITE, at the Work-Study Diploma Signing Ceremony, on Tue 26 Nov 2019 at 3.15 PM, at Auditorium, ITE College East

Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education 
Mr Bob Tan, Chairman, ITE
Members of the ITE Board
Industry Partners and Guests
ITE Colleagues and students

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

• In Nov 2017, we had our first Work-Study Diploma signing ceremony with 40 companies partnering ITE in our first 4 Work-Study Diplomas programmes. In Nov 2018, the signing ceremony involved 113 companies for 14 Work-Study Diplomas. Today, we will witness 268 companies making their commitment to partner ITE in our 24 Work-Study Diploma programmes.
  

• This 6-fold increase, compared to 2017, in both the number of Work-Study Diplomas (from 4 to 24) and the number of companies (from 40 to 268) has warranted a rather elaborate stage arrangement with two tiers of platforms to accommodate all our industry partners when they come on stage for the mass signing.

• We are very glad that Minister Ong is gracing the signing ceremony for the third year and can see for himself the growth of ITE’s Work-Study Diplomas and the immense support accorded by the industry.
  

Outreach to Graduates and Engagement with Companies

• From the video shown earlier, we have heard from both the trainees and employers. For my speech, I would like to highlight from ITE’s perspective in terms of our outreach efforts to ITE graduates, and our engagement efforts with industry.

• Candidates for the Work-Study Diplomas are fresh female ITE graduates, post-NS male ITE graduates, or ITE graduates who are already working. Our outreach efforts involve:

  • reaching out to current and former graduates

  • going to army camps to speak at pre-ORD events

  • providing multi-channel and multi-modal publicity materials – physical and online

  • urging companies to enrol their in-service staff

  • providing career guidance to interested working adults

  • organising mass sign-up exercises and facilitate their applications and matching to employers

• We are glad that through all these efforts, we have reached trainees like former ITE graduate, Aquila Nur Afiqah who was working as an Auxiliary Police Officer when she stumbled upon an ITE advertorial for WSDip last year. She liked the idea of studying while working (70% on-the-job training by company and 30% on-campus training by ITE) and having a clear career progression pathway. With a Higher Nitec in Civil and Structural Engineering Design foundation, she was hired by Fujitech and started to pursue the WSDip in Vertical Transport. She is working towards becoming a specialist in the lift industry.
  

• Our ITE staff have also intensified our efforts to engage with companies and bringing them on board as our WSDip partners. Industry engagement efforts include:

  • Explaining and urging the 3,500 companies who are already providing internship to the Nitec and Higher Nitec students;

  • Organising townhall briefing sessions for companies;

  • Working through the Trade Associations andChambers.

• Our collective engagement efforts have yielded good results and hence the high number of companies we see today, keen to offer WSDip training places and ready to partner with ITE in the training of the trainees.
  

• As you saw earlier in the video, many employers see WSDip as a means to develop and grow local talents – by attracting fresh ITE graduates as well as investing in the training of their existing staff who have demonstrated potential. This year, 38 companies have enrolled their in-service employees into the current 14 WSDips. These 94 mature WSDip trainees form about 30% of the total number of trainees. They are highly driven and motivated.For next year’s 24 WSDips, we already have 170 applications from in-service employees. We are glad to see more employers leveraging the WSDip to groom your existing staff.

Conclusion

• The first cohort who joined the WSDip in April 2018 will be graduating in Oct next year. We look forward to them receiving their Work-Study Diploma. More importantly, we look forward to them putting their skills and work experience into use as their companies move them into higher level job roles. This is the job satisfaction that my staff and I look forward to – to see how the WSDip has enabled ITE graduates to achieve career progression and build good careers.

• In conclusion, I would like to thank all our industry partners for your staunch belief in the capability and potential of ITE graduates, and for partnering ITE to develop them further to take on higher job roles. Our journey together is a meaningful and rewarding one.

Thank you.