Speech - Remarks by Mr Tony Tai Chark-tong, Chairman of VTC, at the Opening Ceremony of the 8th ITE-VTC International Student Seminar on 20 June 2022

Dr MALIKI Osman (Second Minister for Education & Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore),

Andrew (Chairman of ITE),

Khah Gek (Chief Executive Officer of ITE),

ITE friends and VTC Colleagues, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good morning. It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the Opening Ceremony of the ITE-VTC International Student Seminar 2022. Following a year of postponement, we are finally connected via this unique platform for knowledge exchange and co-creation.

Since 2007, ITE and VTC have been jointly organising the International Student Seminar, alternately in Singapore and Hong Kong. Over the past 15 years, the Seminar has gathered young talents from different places to share diverse ideas and work collaboratively on new solutions for global issues. Together, we have co-created fruitful and eye-opening learning experiences for our student participants. This year, we have friends and guests joining us virtually from Shenzhen, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the USA to exchange new knowledge.  My warmest welcome to them all!

The COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions have indeed posed constraints on the organisation of this Seminar, but they do not stop us from further extending our partnership and friendship with ITE. Today, this meaningful event is staged in a digitally enabled format, marking an important milestone in our collaboration with ITE in the digital era. It also starts a new chapter in our history as 2022 marks the 30th Anniversary of the ITE and the 40th Anniversary of the VTC. A big thank-you to all members of the Organising Committee for making this possible!

COVID-19 is game-changing. It impacts all walks of life and every corner of the world. It catalyses innovative technology advancement and drastically transforms the education, business and socio-economic landscapes. As education providers, we see a pressing need for equipping our young generations with new knowledge and skills to co-create a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future for all.  The main theme of the Seminar this year, “Post COVID-19: Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Future” circles around this concept. My sincere thanks to our distinguished speakers from Singapore and Hong Kong to shed light on re-shaping a better Post-COVID future. Our young people in Singapore and Hong Kong are also invited to study a broad range of issues and share their ideas on how we can work together to rebuild a better world with enhanced inclusivity and sustainability, and also to re-imagine how physical spaces and workplace dynamics can be repositioned after the pandemic leveraging new technologies.

I trust this two-day programme including seminar, student presentation as well as the fantastic performances from ITE and VTC students, will bring you inspiration and help our young participants embark on lifelong friendship and network.

In closing, I must express my deepest gratitude to our longstanding partner, ITE, for hosting this year’s Seminar and congratulations to its 30th Anniversary. I wish all students a very fruitful and enjoyable learning experience.

Thank you.