Speech - Welcome Address by Ms Low Khah Gek, CEO of ITE, at the Launch of ITE’s 30 Gifts for the Community Programme on 13 July 2022, 0930hrs at ITE College East

Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Manpower

Mr Stefan Phang, Global Director, Sustainability & Creating Shared Value at Diversey, Inc

Friends from Diversey

Community Partners

ITE colleagues and students

Ladies and Gentlemen

Expression of Appreciation and Gratitude

As ITE celebrates her 30^th Anniversary and reflects on the transformation and progress over the last three decades, my staff, students and I would like to thank the Singapore community. The community cheer ITE when our students achieve and have responded generously when our students need financial assistance. Some have also volunteered their time to be mentors to our students.

My staff, students and I would like to express our appreciation and gratidude by offering our skills to the community in the form of workshops. Between now to October, ITE will conduct 30 skills workshops which would benefit 17 different groups in the community.

Variety of Skills

Each ITE college is conducting ten skills workshops for the community in its vicinity. Let me highlight three examples per college:

College Central

• Air-cond maintenance workshop for Central CDC residents to teach them how to save energy consumption

• Workshop for Central CDC senior citizens on how to detect digital scams

• Workshop for children of Spright Academy, AMKFSC on how to pilot a drone College East

• Soccer Clinic for students from Metta School

• Plumbing 101 for East Coast GRC residents

• Eye tests and maintaining healthy eyes for SE CDC residents College West

• Workshop for residents of Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre on how to bake gluten-free chocolate cupcakes

• Workshop for Choa Chu Kang Communityon configuring home wireless network

• CPR & AED workshop for residents of Brickland residents

Collaboration with Diversey

ITE is privileged to partner with Diversey to offer two workshops that leverage Diversey’s signature sustainability programmes: i) ‘Soap for Hope’ and ii) ‘Linens for Hope’.  

• ‘Soap for Hope’ – transform hotels' soap slivers into new soap bars, giving them a new lease of usefulness rather than be cast away as waste.

• ‘Linens for Life’ – converts hotels’ linens into new items, making them usable and valuable again instead of being thrown away.

Today, ITE is conducting the the ‘Soap for Hope’ workshop for students of Delta Senior School and ‘Linens for Life’ workshop for residents of COMNET Senior Activity Centre, AMKFSC.

ITE-Diversey MOU

ITE and Diversey will be signing an MOU to formalise our partnership. Together, we will work on sustainability projects, re-purpose waste materials, and help the less privileged in Sinagpore and beyond. We are very pleased that in September ITE students will have the opportunity to join Diversey in conducting these meaningful projects overseas. 

Conclusion

As we launch ITE’s 30 Gifts for the Community today,  we are honoured to have MOS Gan Siow Huang to grace this launch event.

Once again, on behalf of ITE, I would like to thank our community partners and stakeholders for the support you have given ITE and journeying with us over the last three decades. My ITE staff and I will continue to strive for a better and brighter future for all our students and for Singapore.

Thank you.