Speech - Welcome Remarks by Ms Low Khah Gek, CEO/ITE, at the MOU Signing between MOE and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Baden-Württemberg, Germany at ITE HQ on 27 June 2022

Ms Theresa Schopper
Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Dr Maliki Osman
Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs, Singapore

His Excellency Karl Norbert Riedel, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany

Mr Andrew Chong
Chairman, ITE Board of Governors

Mr Klaus Lorenz, Dr Thomas Riecke Baulecke, Principals, Deputy Principals and Partners from Baden-Württemberg

MOE and ITE Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen

Background of MOE-MEYS MOU

Guten Tag (Good afternoon). In September 1990, Singapore’s then-Minister for Education, Dr Tony Tan, who later became the 7^th President of Singapore, led a study visit to Baden-Württemberg to explore cooperation in technical education and training. After his visit, Ministry of Education Singapore and Ministry of Education Yourth and Sports Baden-Württemberg signed the first MOU in June 1991. ITE was appointed the implementing agency.

Five key areas of collaboration were established and they remain relevant, even today:

• Curriculum development

• Teacher training

• Training of industry trainers/company trainers & supervisors

• Staff and student projects

• Staff and student exchanges

This collaboration which initially focused on the engineering domains of Industry 4.0, Machine Technology and Automotive Engineering, has over the years expanded into other domains such as Logistics, Digitalisation as well as Geriatrics and Community Care.

Impact on Programmes, Staff and Students

ITE has benefited much from this partnership. I have listed six ways (there are definitely be much more):

We emulated the German Dual Training System and evolve our Singapore-style Work-Study Diploma programmes (same 70% learning at workplace and 30% learning on campus).

We learnt from you that the quality of workplace OJT is premised on the quality of the Industry OJT Trainers. We adapted from your Company Trainer training programme and evolved our Train-the-Trainer programme for our company supervisors and trainers.

The two Technical Diplomas (Machine Technology and Automotive Engineering) which we launched together in 2008 and 2010 have been producing graduates who are much sought after by employers.

Our ITE staff have grown professionally in terms of pedagogical strategies and assessment approaches.

Our ITE students have also benefitted from the student exchanges, projects and industry attachment opportunities in Germany.

We have presented and shared at each other’s Conferences to showcase our respective best practices, programmes and innovations. This practice promotes innovation and ambition in our respective institutions.

I hope our German partners have gained from the interactions and exchanges with us as much as we have gained from you..

Today’s MOU Signing

Today, we are renewing the MOU for the sixth time. We look forward to collaborating with the Centre for School Quality and Teacher Education (ZSL)and eight German colleges:

• Gottlieb-Daimler-Schule 2 (GDS1)

• Gottlieb-Daimler-Schule 2 (GDS2)

• Carl-Benz-Schule Gaggenau (CBS)

• Kerschensteinerschule Stuttgart (KSS)

• Kaufmännische Schule Göppingen (KSG)

• Gewerbliche Schule Göppingen (GSG)

• Kaufmännische Schule 1 Stuttgart (KS1)

• Helen-Keller-Schule Weinheim

• We eagerly look forward to more interactions, greater inspirations and limitless innovations for our respective colleges and institutions.

Finally, I would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to Minister Schopper and the KM staff, Principals and Vice-Principals for coming to Singapore to sign this MOU, attend the International TPET Conference as well as join us in ITE’s 30^th Anniversary celebration. Your presence signals the high regard that you hold for our longstanding 31-year-old partnership.

We wish you a fruitful and enjoyable time in Singapore.  My staff have arranged a very full and packed programme, including a visit to Bosch Rexroth Regional Training Centre at Jurong Innovation District. I hope you would not be too exhausted but would instead be energized and exhilarated!

Thank you! Danke Shoen!