Speech - Address by Ms Low Khah Gek CEO of ITE at the Work-Study Diploma Graduation Ceremony on 8 Dec 2022

Dr Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Education 

Mr Andrew Chong, Chairman, ITE 

Members of the ITE Board of Governors

Industry Partners 

WSDip Graduands

Parents

ITE Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen

Today we are here to celebrate the achievements of the third batch of WorkStudy Diploma graduands. Your cohort was particularly affected by the pandemic and we were forced to change the way in which we work and learn. Despite the disruptions and challenges, you have been resilient and successfully completed your diploma. Our heartiest congratulations to all 371 graduands! You have every reason to be proud of yourselves today. 

18 of you will also be awarded course medals for being the top scorers of your course. Well done!

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all those who have worked alongside you and supported you throughout this journey – the ITE lecturers, company Mentors, your course-mates and family members. Many of them are present today to celebrate this milestone with you. Let’s show our appreciation to them.  

Chase Your Dream and Build Your Career  

Let me share the stories of two WSDip graduands to illustrate how the 371 WSDip graduands have their dreams and aspirations, and have stepped forward to pursue them and build their careers.

Sharon Lee. Sharon’s interest in cyber security was first piqued when, as a child, her online gaming MapleStory account was hacked and she lost all her in-game merchandise. Because of this, in secondary school, she decided to take up computer studies where she learnt basic computing concepts. She then came to ITE to study network security and then enrolled in the WSDip in Cyber Security and Forensics in April 2020. Sharon’s employer is Toffs Technologies, a network solutions provider. In the 2.5 WSDip years, Sharon’s job is to help her clients guard against data breaches and cyber-attacks. Sharon was the Project Manager for ABCD, Asset-Based Cyber Defence, and took charge of implementing ABCD solution for local SMEs to safeguard them against cyberattacks. Sharon enjoys her work and is glad to be able to pursue her passion.

Tan Yu Ting. Yu Ting graduated from Higher Nitec in Electrical Engineering in March 2020. She was interested in the Mechanical and Electrical Services Supervision WSDip but was initially apprehensive about joining the maledominated construction industry. Nonetheless, she decided to pursue her passion and boldly enrolled in the WSDip, and was hired by Sim Lian Construction Pte Ltd. Her company mentor, Mr Jackson Teo, made sure she was given equal opportunity at work vis-à-vis her male counterparts. Yu Ting is driven and diligent in her work at the construction site and has clearly proven her mettle.  

These two stories illustrate the personal journeys of the 371 graduands. We are proud of each one of you and we urge you to continue to stay driven and determined as you continue to strive for greater achievements and further grow your respective careers.   

Companies Build In-House Training Capability  

When ITE first started offering WSDip in 2018, we had 40 participating companies. Today, four years on, we have more than 500 companies as our co-training partners. 

A significant 70%-80% of the WSDip learning takes place at the workplace and is delivered by the company mentors. It is thus critical that the company mentors are equipped with the skills of designing and delivering On-the-Job (OJT) training as well as pedagogic and coaching skills so that they can be effective in imparting skills to the WSDip trainees. ITE conducts Train-the-Trainer (TTT) courses for company mentors and we are glad that the WSDip participating companies have been forthcoming in sending many of the WSDip mentors for

these TTT courses. The skills gained by these company mentors are not just useful for WSDip but can be applied to the company’s own in-house OJT training programmes for other employees. It is our hope that when companies participate in ITE’s WSDip and send their staff to ITE’s TTT course, they are concurrently enhancing their in-house training capabilities and culture. 

WSDip Trainees’ Projects to Create New Value 

Part of the WSDip curricula require the trainees to complete a company project in their final year. Today, we are showcasing six projects completed by the WSDip graduands for Sport Singapore, Murata Pte Ltd, TOFFS Technologies, NParks, PSA and Avodaq Pte Ltd. You can visit their exhibition booths later.

Let me highlight two projects:

• The NParks project by Muhammad Affandi Bin Anuar and Heng Joo Huat from the WSDip in Arboriculture & Horticulture is to develop a nursery to nurture the right type of plant seedlings, which will subsequently be grown at Thomson Nature Park. This helps to reduce the dependency on an off-site nursery. Sourcing the correct plants and trees is important as these are the food sources for native wildlife in Thomson Nature Park and the nearby Central Catchment Nature Reserve. The nursery makes use of a smart irrigation system, a cloud-based plant inventory system and the use of QR codes for tagging and tracking of plant stock.

• The project by Sharon for Toffs Technologies is to convert a manual incident management system to an automated system using a Customer Relation Management (CRM) software called ZOHO Desk. The new system serves as a one-stop solution for clients to report and TOFFS staff to manage cyber-security incidents.

I am glad that our WSDip trainees are creating new value for their respective employers through their projects. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, on behalf of ITE, I would like to express our appreciation to the participating companies. You have belief in the potential of ITE Nitec/Higher Nitec graduates and have partnered us to equip them with deeper skills, as well as enabled them to achieve their diploma qualification and build their careers.  

To the WSDip graduands, may you stay ambitious and continue to pursue new learning. We wish you a fulfilling and enriching career ahead. Our best wishes for your future!

Thank you.