Speech by Mr Peter Lam, CEO/ITE, at the ITE Sustainability Conference 2026

Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of National Development

Mr Wong Kee Joo
Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Singapore

Mr James Soh
Executive Director, National Youth Achievement Award Council

Speakers, Mr Lim Tuang Liang, Mr Edward Chia, Ms Melissa Low

Distinguished Guests, Industry Partners

ITE Colleagues and Students

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Introduction

A very good morning to you, and a very warm welcome to the ITE Sustainability Conference 2026.

Today, many (if not all) of us know that sustainability is no longer a distant goal but a present responsibility.

Around the world, we see the impact of climate change in rising temperatures, extreme weather, sea-level rise and growing pressure on resources. Recent years have brought repeated records in global heat, including the warmest years ever measured.

In Singapore, we are responding with urgency, including through stronger climate adaptation and resilience, and you will hear more of this from our speakers later.

For ITE, sustainability is not an abstract issue. It is central to our mission of education and training. While technology, infrastructure and policy are important to address challenges of climate change, lasting change depends on people — people with the skills, values and confidence to act.

This is why this year’s theme, “Sustainable Futures: Education for a Decarbonised Singapore,” is timely and important.

A low-carbon future cannot be built by systems alone. It has to be built by people who are ready to learn, adapt and contribute.

This year marks the 11th edition of ITE’s Sustainability Conference since 2011. Over the years, this platform has brought together staff, students, industry partners and sustainability advocates to exchange ideas and turn commitment into action.

Today, we are privileged to hear from three speakers:

1.1    Mr Lim Tuang Liang, Government Chief Sustainability Officer, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment;

1.2      Mr Edward Chia, Managing Director, Life Lab Resources; and

1.3     Ms Melissa Low, Head, NUS Sustainability Academy, National University of Singapore.

They will bring perspectives from government, industry and higher education — three sectors that must work closely together if Singapore is to decarbonise successfully.

2. Sustainability at ITE: Our 4Cs Framework

At ITE, sustainability is not a standalone programme. It is part of how we build, teach, work and partner.

Our approach is guided by the 4Cs of: Campus, Curriculum, Culture and Collaboration.

2.1 Campus

Let me talk about the first C in Campus.  We are making our campuses greener and more resource-efficient.

As of February 2026, all ITE buildings have attained the BCA Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Certification.  This is ahead of the national 2030 target. ITE College East will also seek renewal of its Super Low Energy Certification by November 2026.

We now have more than 8,000 solar panels across our campuses, providing about 4.4 MWp of installed peak capacity, or close to 12% of our energy consumption.

We have also reduced overall electricity consumption by about 19% and improved water efficiency by 13% against our FY2018 to FY2020 baseline, exceeding some of the government targets that have been set for 2030.

We are also honoured to receive several awards, including the 2026 Singapore Watermark Award from PUB, Singapore’s highest accolade for sustained water efficiency and water conservation.

Beyond energy and water, we are strengthening everyday green habits through centralised waste and recycling bins across ITE.

To my colleagues and students, I know that it has not been easy for us to achieve these results.  For some of us, it may mean a little more thermal discomfort.  For others, more inconvenience as now we no longer have the convenience of just disposing our waste at the nearest waste basket but have to walk a little further to dispose waste at a central location. I thank everyone for understanding the need for us to change our habits to be more sustainable. By our actions, our campuses can become places where sustainability is taught and practised.  This way, the value of sustainability can be caught, not just taught.

2.2 Curriculum

Next, curriculum.  All ITE students now receive baseline sustainability learning through two self-directed modules in Year 1 - Sustainability Basecamp and Chemical Fuels Green Innovation.

These modules give students a common foundation in environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, climate action and green innovation.

We have also expanded Level 2 sustainability learning to 62 sustainability-related modules, including elective and cross-disciplinary modules across our courses.

To support Singapore’s green economy, we have also introduced the Technical Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Clean Energy) in 2025.

We also offer sustainability-related Continuing Education Training courses for adult learners in areas such as Battery Energy Storage Systems, Electric Vehicles, ESG Fundamentals and food sustainability.

Our goal is simple: sustainability learning must go beyond awareness. It must equip our students and adult learners with practical green skills for the workplace.

2.3 Culture

Moving on to culture, I am proud that ITE has nurtured students and staff who have shown strong commitment to sustainability, such as the 19 staff and student award recipients that we are recognising today.

They include six Green Ambassadors, six student teams with innovative green solutions, four staff sustainability advocates and three staff teams who developed green innovation project solutions. Certainly, we would not stop here and we will encourage our students and staff to innovate more in the area of sustainability.

Their achievements show that sustainability at ITE is not only driven by plans and infrastructure but it is driven by people with conviction and purpose. One example is the Hydrogen Smart Energy Learning Ecosystem which is developed by staff and students from ITE College East with industry partners. This award-winning, first-of-its-kind project has gained national recognition for advancing hydrogen and clean energy education and inspired over 120 students from 15 Secondary Schools through the HydroMotion: Green Grand Prix at ignITE 2026.

Over the years, seven ITE staff and one student have received the NEA EcoFriends Award. This year, I am pleased to share that our eighth ITE staff recipient is Ms Janice Tan, who is from the Student Development Department at ITE College West.  Through Janice’s leadership of the Green Ambassadors Club and the community sustainability initiatives, she has inspired students, staff and, residents near College West, to take practical steps to save energy, conserve water and live more sustainably.

Congratulations, Janice, on this well-deserved national recognition.

2.4 Collaboration

Finally, in Collaboration, we celebrate strong partnerships with the industry and community to tackle sustainability challenges.

A good example of such a collaboration is the HSBC-NYAA-ITE Sustainability Initiative.

This initiative was started by NYAA with support from HSBC in 2020, and it builds ITE students to work with companies to identify ways to reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability performance.

We are now in the fourth run of the initiative, with 96 students working with 29 companies this year.

Students were trained by a climate consultant appointed by NYAA, before working with companies to analyse operations and propose practical solutions in energy saving, water saving and carbon reduction.

This is applied learning at its best. Students gain real industry exposure, and companies benefit from fresh ideas and practical solutions.

Today, we will present awards to the top six winning teams. I commend not only the winners, but all participating students for their effort, creativity and commitment. 

3. Conclusion

To conclude, sustainability is a long journey, but the direction is clear. We must reduce our environmental impact. We must build resilience. We must prepare our people for a greener economy. Maybe not in my time, but hopefully in our students’ time.

On behalf of ITE, I thank HSBC, NYAA, our partners, colleagues and students for your continued support for us to build a greener future for our future generations.

To our students: keep learning, keep questioning, and keep applying your skills to real life challenges.

To our staff: continue to inspire action through teaching, mentoring and example.

To our partners: continue to work with us to turn learning into impact.

Let us work with conviction and purpose, so that the choices we make today will shape a greener, more resilient and more sustainable future — for ITE, for Singapore and for many generations to come.

Thank you, and I wish everyone a fruitful and enjoyable experience at this conference.