INSIDE With SP, it`s So Possible

Transcription

INSIDE
THE NEW PAPER |
27 DECEMBER 2011
THE NEW PAPER |
13 DECEMBER 2011
THE NEW PAPER |
20 DECEMBER 2011
The future becomes brighter
after SP. Read the success
stories of how recent
graduates rose to the top.
PAGE 2 to 7
Photo copyright: Singapore Press Holdings
At SP, students are placed
on an authentic learning
journey to prepare them for
the real world.
PAGE 8 to 12
Photo copyright: Singapore Press Holdings
SP alumni continue to shine
– be it in further studies or
the pursuit of their passion.
Read about their stellar
achievements
PAGE 22 to 29
Articles reproduced with permission
from Singapore Press Holdings.
Follow SP on
www.facebook.com/singaporepolytechnic
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www.youtube.com/singaporepoly
www.sp.edu.sg
SP offers 50 full-time diploma courses that
prepare students to be work-ready, life-ready and
world-ready.
500 Dover Road Singapore 139651
Tel: 6772-1400 | Fax: 6772-1978
SP News_newFA.indd 1
With SP, it’s So Possible
1/7/13 11:11 AM
02
THE NEW PAPER | 22 MAY 2012
THE STRAITS TIMES |
16 MAY 2012
“
Jessica Lee joined SP from Tanjong Katong Girl’s School and
graduated from the Diploma in Accountancy (DAC) with
a perfect GPA. She clinched the Low Guan Onn Gold Medal
and is now pursuing a degree in Accountancy and Business
at NTU under the Nanyang Scholarship. A former SP Scholar,
Jessica also served as the President of the DAC Chapter and
Treasurer for Archery Club during her SP days. She felt that
the numerous opportunities for holistic growth in SP have
enriched and shaped her into a well-rounded person.
”
1/7/13 11:11 AM
03
THE NEW PAPER | 27 FEBRUARY 2012
LIANHE WANBAO | 16 MAY 2012
Summary of Chinese article
Alan Yeo was a wayward kid and a dropout from secondary school. However,
he was determined to correct his ways and joined SP after graduating from ITE
with a perfect score and the LKY Award. He repeated his perfect score at SP
and clinched the Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal. Alan is now pursuing an engineering degree at the National University of Singapore with a scholarship from the
Energy Market Authority.
1/7/13 11:11 AM
04
THE NEW PAPER | 13 JUNE 2012
BERITA HARIAN | 14 MAY 2012
Satu-satunya
pelajar perempuan
muncul terbaik
kursus kejuruteraan
CENDERUNG BIDANG PRAKTIKAL: Nurzahidah
memilih bidang kejuruteraan kerana lebih suka
kursus yang banyak “menggunakan tangan”.
Beliau mendapat GPA sempurna 4, dan ditawarkan
biasiswa penuh SIT. – Foto M.O. SALLEH
BELIAU ibarat mawar antara
duri.
Dalam kelasnya seramai 20
orang, Nurzahidah Mohamed
Yusoff, adalah satu-satunya pelajar
wanita.
Namun, sepanjang tiga tahun
pengajian di Politeknik Singapura,
beliau membuktikan wanita juga
boleh menandingi lelaki dalam
bidang yang lazimnya dikuasai kaum
Adam iaitu bidang kejuruteraan.
Nurzahidah, 21 tahun, muncul
sebagai antara pelajar cemerlang
Politeknik Singapura dengan gred
mata purata (GPA) 4 – mata terbaik
yang boleh diperolehi pelajar.
Ditemui Ekstra, pelajar Diploma
Kejuruteraan
Elektronik
dan
Elektrikal itu, yang menyertai SP
daripada Madrasah Wak Tanjoing,
berkata beliau memang berminat
dalam kursus yang “banyak
menggunakan tangan” atau ‘hands
on’.
“Pada mulanya saya pilih
kursus Teknologi Maklumat (IT).
Namun, apabila saya dapati kursus
kejuruteraan lebih banyak unsur
hands on, saya terus menukar
pilihan,” ujarnya, yang mengambil
pengkhususan dalam kejuruteraan
aerospace dan telekomunikasi.
Menjelaskan kecenderungannya
itu, Nurzahidah, anak ketiga
daripada lima beradik, berkata
beliau memang berminat dalam
mata pelajaran praktikal seperti
matematik dan sains sejak di
bangku sekolah lagi.
“Subjek kesusasteraan banyak
unsur falsafah, teori dan sebagainya.
Saya lebih suka sesuatu yang nyata,
antara hitam dan putih, seperti
matematik dan sains,” tambah
penerima biasiswa SP itu.
Namun, kejayaan Nurzahidah
tidak datang bergolek. Beliau
perlu menempuhi cabaran penting
semasa menyertai SP.
Dengan sekitaran yang berbeza
dengan madrasah, selain menjadi
satu-satunya pelajar wanita, beliau
memerlukan sedikit masa untuk
menyesuaikan diri.
“Namun, alhamdulillah, berkat
doa keluarga dan juga temanteman
yang mudah mesra di SP, boleh
katakan proses menyesuaikan diri
itu agak pantas bagi saya,” katanya.
Menjelang majlis penyampaian
sijilnya pertengahan bulan ini,
Nurzahidah telah pun ditawarkan
tempat dan biasiswa penuh daripada
Institut Teknologi Singapura dalam
kursus Kejuruteraan Elektrikal dan
Teknologi Infokom.
Ditanya mengenai rancangan
masa
depannya,
Nurzahidah
berkata walau beliau minat dengan
bidang kejuruteraan, namun beliau
telah membuat keputusan untuk
menjadi seorang guru selepas tamat
pengajian nanti.
Cita-citanya
itu
didorong
oleh dua orang tuanya, yang juga
merupakan guru.
Sejak sekian lama, beliau
memang berminat dalam kerja-kerja
kemasyarakatan dan membantu
mereka yang memerlukan. Di
SP, beliau adalah anggota Kelab
Khidmat Kebajikan.
Lantas, menjadi seorang guru
adalah sesuatu yang semula jadi
baginya.
“Sebagai seorang Muslim, saya
rasa satu amanah untuk membantu
orang yang memerlukan dan
menyumbang tenaga saya ke arah
kebaikan.
“Menjadi
seorang
guru
memenuhi ciri-ciri ini,” ujarnya. –
Oleh NAZRI HADI SAPARIN
([email protected])
Summary of Malay article
Nurzahidah Bte Mohd Yusoff
is the top Malay engineering
student in 2012. The SP Scholar
graduated from the Diploma
in Electrical and Electronic
Engineering (DEEE) with a
perfect GPA score of 4.0. She
joined SP from Madrasah Wak
Tanjong and has always been
keen in subjects like maths and
science. She has secured a full
scholarship from the Singapore
Institute of Technology and will
be pursuing a degree in Electrical
Engineering and Infocomm
Technology, offered by the
Technical University of Munich.
Throughout her three years at
SP, Nurzahidah has proven that
women too can match men in an
area that is usually dominated by
men, that is, engineering.
1/7/13 11:11 AM
05
BERITA MINGGU | 9 SEPTEMBER 2012
DARI PELAJAR LEKA...
HANIM MOHD SALEH
[email protected]
Hidup adalah satu perjuangan. Kegagalan bukan bererti berakhirnya satu perjuangan. Perinsip inilah yang harus jadi pengangan setiap insan. Dalam
halaman baru INSPIRASI ini, kami akan paparkan kisah-kisah perjuangan mereka yang tidak mengenal erti putus asa dalam mengejar cita-cita mereka. Kegagalan dalam peringkat awal persekolahan, misalnya, tidak membuat mereka berhenti daripada bekerja keras. Bahkan, sebaliknya, mereka
terus berjuang melalui jalan yang lebih panjang dan berliku. Hubungi pengelola jika anda mengenali orang yang dapat dipaparkan sebagai inspirasi
masyarakat kita.
Muhd Asraf bangkit di ITE setelah gagal di aliran akademik dengan 22 sijil
kepujian dan kecemerlangan, termasuk Anugerah Biasiswa Lee Kuan Yew
THE STRAITS TIMES |
1 8 J U LY 2 0 1 2
MARKAH matematik anda tidak akan pernah bergerak.”
Kata-kata tajam yang keluar dari mulut guru sekolah
menengahnya cukup menghiris perasaannya. Namun,
Muhammad Asraf Mohd Amin berasa tidak berdaya
untuk memperbaiki keadaan. Beliau hampir-hampir putus harap.
Betapa tidak, bekas pelajar aliran Normal Akademik di Sekolah Menengah Fuchun ini hanya mendapat sekitar 20 peratus
mata saja untuk matematik dan kebanyakan subjek utama lain
bagi kesemua ujian dan peperiksaan, kecuali Bahasa Melayu yang
menjadi kegemarannya yang mendapat lebih 60 peratus.
Beliau mengakui sejak di sekolah rendah, beliau tidak pernah
naik pentas untuk menerima sebarang hadiah bagi sebarang pencapaian.
Namun, siapa sangka, apabila kesedaran mula menerpa, Asraf, kini 19 tahun, mampu bangkit, memerah segenap potensi
yang ada pada dirinya sehingga beliau mampu memperolehi
pelbagai pengiktirafan dengan mengumpul 22 sijil kepujian dan
kecemerlangan, termasuk Anugerah Biasiswa Lee Kuan Yew.
Mengenang zaman di sekolah menengah, Asraf, yang kini
pelajar tahun pertama Politeknik Singapura (SP), mengakui tidak
pernah mengulang kaji pelajaran dan hanya “belek-belek buku
sambil tonton TV” apabila menjelang peperiksaan.
“Dalam kelas matematik, saya duduk di belakang kelas...
cikgu mengajar, saya pula tidur atau buat kerja lain. Saya ingat...
saya dah gone case. Tak boleh buat apa-apa lagi,” ujarnya dengan
senyuman kesal. Beliau tidak menyifatkan dirinya nakal, tetapi
sekadar malas untuk memikirkan masa depan.
Anak ketiga empat beradik ini tidak menyalahkan sesiapa
dalam hal ini, kecuali dirinya sendiri yang beliau akui “cukup
malas” untuk menelaah buku-buku sekolahnya. Bapanya, serang
pemandu lori dan ibunya, suri rumah, tidak memaksa, tetapi sering mengingatkan betapa beliau akan kesal jika tamat sekolah
tanpa sebarang pencapaian.
Benar kata orang tuanya. Asraf berasa kepalanya seperti
dihentak ke tembok apabila menerima keputusan peperiksaan
Sijil Am Pelajaran (GCE) peringkat ‘N’ yang tidak melayakkan
beliau meneruskan pelajaran ke menengah lima. Bahkan, kursuskursus yang ditawarkan kepadanya di Institut Pendidikan Teknikal (ITE) pun begitu terhad.
“Saya malu dengan kawan-kawan sedarjah yang kebanyakannya dapat naik menengah lima. Saya malu sebab saya ingat, semua orang dalam kelas saya sama saja... semua malas belajar...
rupa-rupanya mereka berusaha juga, kecuali saya,” ujarnya.
Biarpun fikirannya kosong dan tidak tahu apakah langkah
yang perlu diambil seterusnya, Asraf mengikuti nasihat orang tuanya agar meneruskan langkah ke ITE seperti kakaknya. Beliau
mengikuti kursus Teknologi Fasilitas, kursus pilihan ketiganya.
“Mungkin perasaan malu itu secara tidak langsung membakar semangat saya untuk berubah sikap. Keluarga dan orangorang yang rapat dengan saya berkata, belum terlambat untuk
saya merubah keadaan. Saya tak begitu sedar macam mana saya
mula berusaha dan belajar bersungguh-sungguh sehingga saya
mendapat keputusan baik peperiksaan penggal pertama dengan
GPA (Grade Point Average) empat mata.
“Bila tengok markah itu, saya berkata dalam diri... kalau semester pertama saya dah boleh melakukannya, tentu saya boleh
buat untuk penggal-penggal seterusnya,” ujarnya.
Video mengenai seorang yang cacat anggota bernama Nick
Vujicic yang masih mampu melakukan pelbagai pekerjaan dan
berjaya dalam pertandingan di sebalik keadaannya yang tidak
mempunyai kaki dan tangan, juga membuat Asraf insaf.
PENSYARAH BERI MOTIVASI
Antara faktor yang menguatkan semangatnya untuk belajar
ialah motivasi daripada para pensyarahnya di ITE.
“Para pensyarah saya menggalakkan saya agar turut aktif
dalam kegiatan luar darjah kerana markah CCA (aktiviti kokurikular) juga penting yang boleh membantu mata peperiksaan keseluruhannya,” kata Asraf yang mengikuti kelas drama dan dua
kegiatan lain.
Kalau di sekolah menengah dulu Asraf hanya menjadi pemerhati kawan-kawannya naik ke pentas untuk terima hadiah pencapaian, di ITE nama Asraf seperti hampir tidak ketinggalan diundang naik ke pentas untuk menerima pelbagai sijil dan hadiah
bagi kelakonannya yang cemerlang. Beliau menerima hadiah
baik dalam jurusan yang diikuti, mahu pun penglibatan dalam
CCA – dengan sejumlah 22 sijil dikumpulnya dalam tempoh dua
tahun di ITE.
Pada akhir penggal tahun kedua ITE, Asraf, dinamakan sebagai Pelajar Terbaik kohortnya dan menerima Pingat Emas Sng
Yew Chong. Namanya juga tersenarai dalam Senarai Direktor
bagi Tahun Akademik 2011 kerana pencapaian cemerlang akademik. Asraf juga mendapat beberapa pengiktirafan, termasuk
Anugerah Pelajar Cemerlang ITE-Rotary, Anugerah Biasiswa
Lee Kuan Yew, Hadiah Buku Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien,
Anugerah Pencapaian Cemerlang Akademik
LBKM dan Dana Amanah Pendidikan Mendaki. Asraf yang kini
berada dalam tahun pertama jurusan Kejuruteraan Mekanikal di
SP berkata beliau bersyukur kerana mempunyai guru dan anggota keluarga yang tidak berputus harap terhadapnya di sebalik
sikapnya yang terlalu leka dulu.
“Pelajar macam saya ini memang kena banyak dorongan, tetapi pendekatannya tak boleh terlalu keras. Bila guru berbual-bual
dengan saya seperti kawan yang percayakan potensi saya, saya
jadi lebih bersemangat dan yakin,” tambah beliau.
Jejaka tinggi lampai berwajah kacukan tetapi berbangsa Melayu ini juga sempat berlakon di televisyen dalam drama Celup,
siaran Suria baru-baru ini.
“Berlakon untuk suka-suka, tetapi pelajaran saya tetap teruskan,” kata Asraf lagi.
Beliau berazam untuk terus melangkah ke menara gading,
merah ijazah Sarjana atau lebih tinggi dan berhasrat memilih
kerjaya sebagai pensyarah di ITE.
“Insya-Allah saya mahu berkhidmat di ITE kerana saya faham apa yang dilalui para pelajar di sana. Kalau mereka dianggap
pelajar gagal dan malas, saya pun pernah melalui zaman itu, jadi
tentu lebih mudah saya mendekati mereka. Saya harap, pencapaian saya akan merubah tanggapan masyarakat terhadap pelajar
ITE,” ujarnya.
Kepada pelajar yang mungkin sedang melalui situasi yang
sama seperti yang pernah dilalui Asraf di sekolah menengah, beliau ada sedikit nasihat untuk disematkan di hati.
“Keseronokan di sekolah hanya untuk beberapa tahun. Tetapi,
tuntutan terhadap realiti kehidupan, kita kena tempuh sehingga akhir hayat. Kalau perasaan malas melanda, fikirlah macam
mana kita nak beri makan keluarga kalau dah berumah tangga
nanti? Selagi masih bergelar pelajar, anda belum terlambat untuk
melakukan perubahan,” katanya.
Muhammad Asraf Bin Mohd Amin was a slacker who did not do well in his ‘N’ level exams.
However, he bucked up after joining ITE, graduating with perfect results and even clinching
the LKY Award. Now he is a first-year student studying for the Diploma in Mechanical
Engineering (DME). He hopes to do well and get a place in a university. He would also like to
serve as a lecturer in ITE in future.
Lee Chee Hoe is another shining example
of an ITE graduate who made good.
The former Diploma in Electrical
and Electronic Engineering (DEEE)
student graduated from SP with the Tay
Eng Soon Gold Medal and proceeded
with his degree at NTU under a RSAF
scholarship.
1/7/13 11:11 AM
06
LIANHE WANBAO | 17 MAY 2012
“
SONG SHANG QIAN did not get to
taste fast food till he was 13 years old.
Through his eating habits, he acquired
an interest in healthy living and took up
the Diploma in Nutrition, Health and
Wellness (DNHW). His passion spurred
him on to do well and he graduated
with the Chua Chor Teck Gold Medal. He
was awarded an overseas scholarship
to pursue a degree in dietetics from
the Ministry of Health after his national
service.
”
BERITA HARIAN | 14 MAY 2012
Semangat Utuh
Dorong Jaya
S H I N M I N D A I LY N E W S |
25 MAY 2012
Nadia perlu kerja sambilan
unlak bantu ibu, tapi tetap muncul
pelajar cemerlang
BAKAT KREATIF: Nadia meminati apa juga bentuk
penulisan kreatif dan berharap dapat meneruskan pengajian di Kings College dalam kursus Perfileman dan Sastera
Inggeris. - Foto M.O. SALEH
S
EBAGAI seorang pelajar,
karya penuntut Politeknik
Singapura (SP), Nadia
Zaleha Izzara, telah pun
terpilih untuk digunakan dalam rancangan komedi televisyen popular,
The Noose.
Pelajar Diploma Penulisan Kreatif untuk TV dan Media Baru itu
bangga melihat skrip dan jalan
ceritanya ditayangkan di televisyen, walau hampa pihak penerbit
melakukan beberapa perubahan.
“Sebahagian perubahan itu menjadikan skripnya lebih baik, tapi
bahagian lain pula saya rasa tulisan
asal saya lagi berkesan.
“Tapi tidak apa, ini adalah pengalaman berharga. Kekecewaan seperti ini hanya menebalkan semangat
saya,” katanya.
Sememangnya, Nadia, 21 tahun,
amat kuat semangat. Sepanjang
pengajiannya di SP, beliau terpaksa
mengimbangi tuntutan pelajaran
dan bekerja sambilan.
Keadaan itu banyak meletakkan tekanan ke atas bahu kecilnya,
bagaimanapun, beliau tidak mem-
“Jadi sekarang saya sedang gigih mencari biasiswa dan dermasiswa supaya saya boleh ke Kings
College. Pelbagai cabaran saya hadapi sepanjang
hidup saya, tapi nampaknya ini cabaran paling
besar. Memikirkannya sahaja buat saya sedih.”
– Nadia Zaleha Izzara
punyai pilihan lain.
Ini kerana Nadia tidak mahu
terlalu membebankan ibunya, satusatunya pencari nafkah keluarga.
Ibunya, seorang pustakawan, menampung beliau, adiknya dan nenek
mereka. Nadia enggan bercakap
mengenai bapanya, kerana beliau
sudah lama tidak hadir dalam hidup
mereka sekeluarga.
“Macam-macam kerja saya
buat. Jadi pelayan, jadi jurujual,
pendandan dan pelbagai kerja sambilan. Asalkan dapat duit untuk
bantu ibu,” katanya, yang sentiasa
riang sepanjang wawancara dengan
Ekstra.
Meskipun demikian, Nadia berjaya muncul sebagai antara pelajar
terbaik SP dengan gred mata purata
(GPA) 3.961.
Bagaimanapun, Nadia menekankan, beliau harus berterima kasih
kepada teman-temannya di SP.
Tanpa mereka beliau tidak mungkin
dapat mencapai keputusan cemerlang sedemikian.
“Sebahagian tugasan kami ialah
secara berkumpulan, malah untuk
tugasan sendiri pun, teman-teman
banyak main peranan sebagai pengkritik dan memberi saranan untuk
memperbaiki mutu kerja.
“Jadi, saya terhutang budi kepada mereka,” ujarnya.
Nadia telah pun berjaya mendapatkan tempat di Kings College, sebuah
universiti berprestij di London, untuk mengikuti kursus Perfileman
dan Sastera Inggeris.
Bagaimanapun, kos pengajian
di Britain yang tinggi itu bermakna
impian beliau untuk ke London
masih belum tentu.
Alternatif bagi Nadia ialah untuk
mengikuti kursus Undang-Undang
di Universiti Pengurusan Singapura
(SMU), namun beliau lebih berminat pada bidang filem dan bahasa
Inggeris.
“Jadi sekarang saya sedang gigih
mencari biasiswa dan dermasiswa
supaya saya boleh ke Kings College.
“Pelbagai cabaran saya hadapi
sepanjang hidup saya, tapi nampaknya ini cabaran paling besar.
“Memikirkannya sahaja buat saya
sedih,” kata beliau penuh kejujuran.
Nadia Zaleha Izzara topped her class in the Diploma
in Media and Communication (DMC). The course even
gave her the experience to write scripts for the popular TV
show, The Noose. It was the confidence in her that helped
her achieve her dreams. Nadia is now studying at the King’s
College in UK under a scholarship.
For Lim Tong Heong, it is never too late to learn.
He joined SP as a mature student and took up
the Diploma in Marine Engineering (DMR)
under sponsorship by the Singapore Navy. The
father of three graduated top of his class and
hopes to pursue a maritime degree with Newcastle
University in the near future. Eventually, he hopes
to become a senior marine engineer with the navy.
1/7/13 11:11 AM
07
THE NEW PAPER | 13 MAY 2011
Grandma inspired his passion for medicine
First S’pore Poly grad to get into NUS med school
T
REPORT: LIM WEI LI
[email protected]
HE path less travelled has ledhimto medical
school.
Desmond Thiam, 20, is the first Singapore Polytechnic (SP) graduate to be admitted into the Yong
Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of
Singapore (NUS).
He is among a rare few who have taken this route. In
2007, The New Paper reported that two Ngee Ann Polytechnic graduates were the first poly graduates tomakeit to
medical school.
Desmond obtained a diploma in biomedical science
earlier this month.
He said that his ambition to be a doctor stemmed from
watching his grandmother struggle to bring him up while
she was saddled with many health problems.
He is the only child in a single-parent family. His
parents separated when he was in primary school.
His mother, who works in IT, was the sole breadwinner,
leaving his grandmother to take care of himsincehe was two.
Sacrifices
He said: “For the past 18 years, my grandmother’s sacrifices and endeavours were a source of motivation and
strength for me to striveonin the face of continuous hurdles.
“Watching her suffer from multiple health problems, including depression and arthritis, helped me empathise
with the elderly and made mewant to do morefor them.”
Desmond’s compassion for the elderly extended to
school activities.
He was the organising chairman of “Health Mapping
Exercise”, an on going community service project that the
polytechnic organised with the Singapore Heart Foundation.
Between 2007 and early this year, he went from door to
door at HDB blocks with one- and two-room flats all over
Singapore, screening residents’ heart rate, and blood glucose and cholesterol levels to check for health problems.
He found that many of the elderly residents suffered
from very high blood pressure.
He termed them “walking time bombs” because their
condition was so severe they could suffer heart attacks or
strokes any time.
He said: “Many of these patients reminded me of my
grandmother and what it was like for her. They were a
group of neglected people. Several residents were aware of
their condition, but they had nomoneyto pay for medicine.
“We gathered data and presented it to the grassroots
leader, who referred them to the relevant organisations to
follow up.”
Desmond graduated with an L1R5 score of 5 from
Commonwealth Secondary School, which would have
qualified him easily for the science stream of top junior
colleges here.
But he chose to study biomedical science at SP as he
wanted to focus on his area of interest.
His mother supported his decision because she felt that
such a course would be more practical, given his interests.
Desmond thinks his honesty and compassion were
probably the qualities that impressed his interviewers
at NUS.
Tough interviews
He was one of three students shortlisted by the poly to
go for interviews at NUS’s medical faculty.
He said that the interviews were tough as he was asked
technical questions that he could not answer.
He said: “I told them honestly that I did not know the
answers to the technical questions.
“They also asked me many other questions... on topics
like euthanasia and why I wanted to be a doctor. I think the
important part was how I took a standon the issues.”
He hopes to become a doctor in an emergency department as he prefers frontline work.
He said: “My experiences have taught me that warmth,
compassionandunderstanding are crucial aspects of
being a doctor, more so than the surgeon’s knife or chemist’s drug.”
Madam Mah Mon Moey, the course manager of the
diploma of biomedical science at SP and one of Desmond’s
lecturers, said that he was a highly motivated student.
She said: “He is a team player and an inspirational
leader, who has impressed his lecturers with his ability to
juggle numerous co-curricular activities while maintaining an excellent academic performance.”
Desmond’s grandmother died in February this year
and didn’t live to see his achievement. She was 70.
He said of the two women who brought him up: “Without them, I would not be who I am today.”
1/7/13 11:11 AM
08
Authentic Learning: Global Exposure
THE STRAITS TIMES | 11 MARCH 2011
Besides Harvard, Stanford and
Yale, students from the School
of Chemical and Life Sciences
(CLS) are also attached to
other top universities like
Cornell, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Max-Planck
Institute and Wyss Institute.
Scan QR code for details on
CLS diploma courses.
Scan QR code
for details on
CLS diploma
courses.
THE BUSINESS TIMES | 9 NOVEMBER 2009
An Arabian experience in programming
By SURESH KUMAR SARAD
DURING my second year of studies at Singapore
Polytechnic (SP), I had the privilege of taking on
an overseas internship in an emirate called Ras
Al Khaimah, an hour’s drive from Dubai.
There, I worked for the Ras Al Khaimah Free
Trade Zone, a governmental organisation that
promotes doing business in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE).
Because I am a business information technology student, I was tasked by my employers to
develop a custom content management system
to provide their clients with an easy web-based
platform for them to create their own websites
easily and quickly.
During my six-week stint in the UAE, I got
the opportunity to apply, in an actual work setting, the theories I learned in the classroom. Additionally, my roommates and colleagues, who
were from India, were kind and obliging. With
their help, I managed to adapt myself quickly to
a programming language which I was initially
not familiar with.
UAE is a city that thrives on capitalism, good
governance and relentless efficiency. From the
minute I touched down at the Dubai International Airport, the progress that UAE has made
over the last few decades as a country was clearly
astounding.
UAE’s policy of bringing in foreign talent has
worked well to date, with non-citizens – who
form over 80 per cent of the population – contributing immensely to its wealth and workforce.
From engineering marvels to rows of skyscrapers, UAE has it all. Operations in my workplace,
for example, were a hectic affair, with both clients and colleagues from virtually every continent on the planet working and interacting towards the common goal of prosperity.
Besides work, I found myself regularly taking
taxis to Dubai on weekends for some rest and
relaxation. One of the most exciting activitieswas dune-bashing, a sport where you “surf ” the
sand dunes in sport utility vehicles (SUVs). This
is usually followed by a campfire buffet dinner
in the middle of the dessert under the Arabian
stars.
Other sights which showcase how far the
human race has come as a species can be seen
Sandy expanse:
The writer on the sand dunes of
UAE. One of the most exciting
activities for him was dune-bashing, a sport where sand dunes are
surfed in sport utility vehicles. This
is usually followed by a campfire
buffet dinner in the middle of the
dessert under the Arabian stars
from the world’s only seven-star hotel built on a
reclaimed island, the Burj Al Arab; the world’s
tallest building, the Burj Dubai; and an entire
island reclaimed from the sea, the Palm Island.
On returning to Singapore, I was relishing
the challenges ahead of me, both internally and
externally. With the in-depth programming
and project management knowledge that I have
acquired, I am now focused on Creed Media,
a business venture I had been working on for
some time.
Even during my internship in UAE, I had web
conferences almost daily with my two business
partners, also SP students, after work at night.
Creed Media is currently funded by Spring
Singapore and supported by SP.
The company was set up to be a brand new
Flash
game
advertising
network
for
advertisers in and around the region, where
bloggers or webmasters can have the opportunity to earn revenue by placing Flash games on
their blogs or websites.
I initially found monitoring and coordinating
Creed Media’s highly complex system to be very
difficult. However, my programming skills were
sharpened during my stint in Dubai and things
are much easier now.
After some early obstacles, my team and
I managed to earn the YES! Startup grant of
$50,000 from Spring, which allowed us to embark on creating our Flash game advertising service which is due to be launched this month.
With the funding, we have been able to
develop a portal that allows our users to simply
log in and get real time reports on the status of
their advertising campaigns. Our service aims to
seamlessly connect all advertisers and publishers through our Flash game advertising
platform that can be found on our corporate site
(www.creed-media. com).
The writer is a final-year student from Singapore
Polytechnic's School of Business
Scan QR code for
details on SP Business
School diploma courses
1/7/13 11:12 AM
Authentic Learning
09
THE STRAITS TIMES | 24 APRIL 2012
Restoring sea treasures
Volunteers will work on more than 400 artefacts, including primitive fishing gear and boats
A
Volunteers of the project include (from left) Mr Eric Saw, Mr Kames Bidin, Mr Jeremiah
Leow, Mr I Seng Hu, Captain Frederick Francis and Ms Amy Tan.
ST PHOTOS: ASHLEIGH SIM
‘We want to tell our Singapore
maritime story and not just
display artefacts’
Captain Frederick Francis hopes that an
eco-friendly maritime heritage museum
and heritage trail will be built
‘These are ethnologically
significant artefacts. A maritime
museum should show how
Singapore as a port has thrived
alongside cycles of trade’
Mr Kua Chong Guan, an honorary adjunct
associate professor, on the artefacts (right)
collection of early 20th-century regional
maritime artefacts will be given a new
lease of life by maritime organisation
Youth Skipper Flotilla.
More than 400 artefacts – including boats native to this region, primitive
fishing gear and ship models – are being restored by
the youth wing of the Singapore Nautical Institute.
Captain Frederick Francis, 50, the founding commodore of the flotilla and president of the institute,
says they took on the task of restoration because “the
exhibits are a national treasure. It’s our social responsibility. We felt that it was necessary”.
In the collection, 127 artefacts were donated
by real estate development company Mapletree
Investments. They used to be part of the collection at the nowdefunct Maritime Museum that
opened at Sentosa in 1975 and closed in 2001.
The museum was run by the Port Authority of
Singapore (PSA).
Due to a PSA restructuring, Mapletree came into
possession of the exhibits, says Mr Tay Chin Khim, head
of Singapore investments at Mapletree Investments.
They are supplemented by artefacts from the
personal collections of Mr Francis and other private
individuals.
The core team of 13 volunteers – including Mr
Francis – from the Flotilla and the Singapore Maritime
Academy,
where he teaches, is “almost halfway” through the restoration process.
The artefacts are housed in and worked on in a
7,500 sq ft storage unit at Mapletree business park
building The
Comtech.
The highlights of the collection are the native boats,
which include a Sarawak river boat, a Vietnamese
bamboo basket boat and old dragon boats.
Most of the boats have been cleaned and treated for
termites. Some have also been treated with a sealant to
make them more durable.
One of the volunteers, Mr Eric Saw, 60, notes: “The
most important thing is that they were saved from destruction.”
Local historians agree that the artefacts are worth preserving in a museum.
Mr Kua Chong Guan, an honorary adjunct associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s
history department, says: “These are ethnologically
significant
artefacts. A maritime museum should show how
Singapore as a port has thrived alongside cycles of
trade.”
Mr Francis, who is funding the passion project
out of his own pocket, has spent “about $12,000 to
$15,000” since the restoration project started last year.
“Under the Flotilla, we could have written in for
funding, but I wanted to wait until we can prove the
collection’s worth, then write to National Heritage
Board for funding,” says Mr Francis, who hopes to get
funding from the board.
“It came up to quite a tidy sum but it was well
worth it.”
He estimates that the whole project will take “less
than $100,000” to fund.
The project is slated for completion in July next
year.
He hopes that a new eco-friendly maritime heritage
museum and heritage trail to showcase the restored
artefacts can be built in the future.
“We want to tell our Singapore maritime story and
not just display artefacts,” he says.
He also plans to get local schools involved in the
restoration project to nurture greater interest in maritime history.
For example, under supervision, students can help
to clean up some of the artefacts, and in return, their
school can adopt a boat.
He adds that they can even hold “an ancient boat
regatta” if the Flotilla can secure a location for the museum near a lake, river or reservoir.
The Singapore Maritime Academy
(SMA) at SP offers three
full-time diploma courses
with fantastic scholarship
opportunities. In 2012,
SMA students clinched
30 out of the 40
scholarships offered
by the Singapore Maritime
Foundation. Scan QR code for details
on SMA diploma courses.
THE STRAITS TIMES | 12 MAY 2012
Students get into the act too
Besides going to Milan for exhibition, the
Diploma in Visual Communication
and Media Design (DVMD) students
participated in the London Design Festival
and the Lions Festival in Cannes. Some
students from the Diploma in Interior
Design (DID) went to Seoul to work on
re-designing street shops.
Scan QR code for
details on SP Design
School diploma
courses.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
10
Authentic Learning
THE NEW PAPER | 5 OCTOBER 2012
THE NEW PAPER | 21 SEPTEMBER 2011
Poly
students
run fashion
shop at
Changi
Airport
Shop allows students
to apply what they
learn in class
T
HE new shop will give the polytechnic students a chance to earn
as they learn.
Not money, but academic grades.
Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students will now have a chance to practise what
they’ve learnt in class.
A pioneer batch of 100 students have been
selected to assume different roles, according to
their diplomas, at a lifestyle fashion shop which
has just opened at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3.
The shop, called Spell – short for Singapore
Polytechnic Entrepreneurship Living Lab –
sells lifestyle fashion items like clothes and accessories.
This is the first time a school or poly has set
up a shop at Changi Airport for such a purpose.
The 600 sq ft store, which officially opened
last Saturday, is a collaborative effort between
SP and Changi AirportGroup (CAG). It took
six months to get the shop from concept to reality.
One of the students who will be working at
the shop is Miss Kim Khai Woon, 18, who is
doing the entrepreneurship module of her Diploma in Business and Information Technology at SP.
She said: “I will get to apply all the things
from the textbooks to a real-life situation.”
Ms Dora Ho, 59, the manager from the
entrepreneurship/HR section at SP Business
School, said the store will bring the real world
into the classroomand vice versa.
SPELL-binding
Pieces
REPORT: DAVID SUN
[email protected]
CONCEPTTOREALITY:
Spell sells items
under its own brand.
“Spell is not just another retail outlet, but
one that will serve as an off-campus real-world
learning studio for SP students,” she said.
A CAG spokesman said: “We are very happy to partner Singapore Polytechnic on this
project to provide a real-life business setting
for the students to put into practice what they
have learnt in school.”
Miss Kim said she would be spending a total
of “440 hours for the whole school semester” at
the store, during which she will be assessed by
the school.
She will be at the store outside of curriculum time.
The time required to be spent at Spell for
students vary, as different diplomas have different requirements.
Some students may be required to spend 60
hours over 15 weeks while others may have to
spend 110 hours over the same period.
Their graded performance takes up a sizeable percentage of their modular grade, but
also varies from diploma to diploma.
Mr Gavin Ting, 19, a graduate from SP, is
a full-time business development executive at
the store.
He handled day-to-day operations during
the initial stages, which involved the conceptualisation of the store and managing goods. He
was also involved with helping the students by
guiding themalong the way.
Mr Ting graduated with a Diploma in Business Administration, and is waiting to do national service.
He said of lending his experience at the
store: “It is essentially an opportunity to turn
my book knowledge into something practical.”
Own branding
Spell sells its items under its own brand,
Verve Avenue. Miss Eileen Lim, 19, a student
from SP’s Diploma in Business Administration,
was part of a group of five students who helped
to source for the items sold at Spell.
Most of the goods were sourced from various parts of Asia.
“I got to choose the products, colours and
sizes,” she said.
Miss Lim has had some experience in the
retail industry, having worked at Mini Toons
during the Christmas period three years ago.
She believes that she would be
able
to
“better
handle
customers”
because of the experience.
Most of the students involved had volunteered to be part of this initiative.
They were then chosen through interviews.
Said Miss Kim: “I want to start my own
business in the future. I am doing this to avoid
making mistakes when I startmyventure.”
Mr Ting, on the other hand, had volunteered to work at the shop before he graduated.
He wanted to do this for experience, and to
interact with and mentor his juniors. He is paid
a salary.
A spokesman for CAG said the project is part
of its initiative to give back to the community.
In November 2012, the Singapore Polytechnic
Entrepreneurship Living Lab (SPELL) at Changi
Airport Terminal 3 celebrated its first anniversary
with a fashion show that showcased a new
collection exclusive to the retail outlet – the Fall/
Winter collection from Verve Avenue, SPELL’s inhouse fashion label. When it comes to authentic
learning, SP walks the talk.
The collection was created together by SP
students and Michelle Wong, a local fashion
designer. The collection was inspired by Grey
Gardens, an American movie starring Jessica
Lange and Drew Barrymore about two upperclass socialites. Said Kylie Yuen, a Diploma in
Banking and Finance (DBKF) student who
also models the collection: “I quite like the denim
collection in the casual line. There are many
chances for me to wear them in school! The
formal wear section also has some really pretty
dresses inside.”
1/7/13 11:12 AM
Authentic Learning
11
LIANHE ZAOBAO | 17 NOVEMBER 2011
SP students from the Diploma in Food, Science and Technology (DFST)
created three new coffee blends. One of them is distinctively local with the
aroma of love letters, a popular Chinese New Year cookie. The new blends
are sold exclusively at the School of Coffee, which was set up by local coffee
company, Kaffee Kultur. It is also an authentic learning space for the students to experiment on developing new food and beverage products.
THE STRAITS TIMES | 6 DECEMBER 2012
1/7/13 11:12 AM
12
Authentic Learning
THE NEW PAPER | 27 AUGUST 2012
PICTURES
COURTESY OF MERCY RELIEF
GOOD CAUSE: (Far left) Miss Kohgilavani Selvakumaran helping out in a Philippine village.
(Left) Miss Kohgilavani receiving an award from Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam for topping the Diploma-Plus Certificate Programme in Humanitarian Affairs.
LIANHE ZAOBAO | 27 DECEMBER 2011
Scan QR code for details on
courses offered by the School
of Architecture and The
Built Environment.
Summary of
Chinese article
Diploma in
Landscape
Architecture
(DLA) students played
a big role in rejuvenating
the campus environment.
Their ideas to spruce up the
physical landscape of SP
were adopted and resulted
in a more vibrant campus
that is greener and more
spacious. More than 2,000
seats have been added
throughout the campus for
students to study or chillout.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
Go Green
13
THE STRAITS TIMES | 8 JUNE 2012
Students rewarded for green efforts
SP: The Garden Campus
It’s no fluke that SP is known to have the greenest campus.
Winning the President’s Award for the Environment in 2010
is testimony to the intensive efforts to go green. In 2012, SP
won another major environment award – the Platinum Band at
the Community in Bloom Awards. This is the highest accolade
given to companies and organisations for gardening efforts.
And recently, an engineering invention that could possibly save
millions of dollars in electricity bills won the Gold Award at the
PS21 ExCEL Convention 2012.
THE STRAITS TIMES | 9 OCTOBER 2010
Poly’s leafy campus is green in another way
S’pore Polytechnic wins eco-friendly award along with Hitachi GST and Nan Hua High School
SINGAPORE Polytechnic (SP) has won the President’s
Award for the Environment in recognition of its ecofriendly campus.
The polytechnic’s 37ha site is not only one of the oldest
in the country, but also one of the greenest.
Although many of its buildings are up to three decades
old, meaning they are much harder to make environmentally friendly, SP has installed solar panels on top of some
of them.
These panels can churn out 330 kilowatts every day,
based on three hours of sunlight – enough to power a
three-room Housing Board flat for a month.
The Dover Road campus is also one of the leafiest educational sites around. A 2003 survey showed that it had
about 2,000 trees with trunks at least 1m thick. SP was yesterday presented with this year’s President’s Award at the
Istana.
Along with Nan Hua High School and technology giant Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (GST), it was
chosen from 19 nominees for the award, which recognises
efforts to achieve environmental sustainability.
“It was not an easy decision but the range of nominees
speaks volumes for the number of people and organisations that are championing environmental causes here,”
said Mr Cedric Foo, chairman of the award’s evaluation
committee.
This year’s winners of the award, now in its fifth year,
stood out for having built a substantial portfolio of work
relating to the environment.
“The three recipients not only undertook green projects within their respectiveorganisations, but also had a
strong penchant for engaging external parties,” said Mr
Foo.
Nan Hua High School’s green push, for example, can be
traced to as far back as 2001. Students have to take compulsory modules on environment-related subjects such as
water and waste minimisation.
“We hope to instil environmental and water consciousness in all our students,” said its principal, Mrs Tan Jong
Lek.
The school also actively participates in a number of
community projects aimed at environmental conservation, such as anti-littering campaigns.
Hitachi GST, one of the largest computer hard disk
suppliers in the world, has a long track record of exploring
sustainable eco-business solutions.
Since 2005, it has been able to recycle more than 95 per
cent of its waste – in the process disposing only less than 1
per cent of it in the landfill.
The company has also managed to reduce the amount
of water consumed in the production of hard disks by
62 per cent, through measures like reverse osmosis in its
cooling towers, said Mr Tan Puey Hwee, real estate site operations director at Hitachi GST’s Singapore office.
[email protected]
BY AMRESH GUNASINGHAM
(From left) SP principal Tan Hang Cheong, Hitachi GST managing director Kanji
Nakao and Nan Hua High School principal Tan Jong Lek received green awards
yesterday. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
1/7/13 11:12 AM
14
Go Serve with a Heart
THE SUNDAY TIMES |
1 J U LY 2 0 1 2
LIANHE ZAOBAO |
11 JUNE 2012
THE STRAITS TIMES |
14 MAY 2012
Initiative creates job opportunities
for poor in rural Indian communities
Lin Zhaowei
Singapore Polytechnic (SP) student Marcus Seah, 17, counts a recent
community-service trip to southern India as his most humbling experience.
He was there in March with ninschoolmates from the polytechnic’s Students. In Free Enterprise (Sife) Club to undertake projects to
improve the lives of rural folk.
The second-year biomedical science student said: “While doing
our field survey of residents, we asked people whether they were satisfied with their lives. What really surprised me was that many said yes,
though they were living in poverty.”
Sife is an international movement that started in the United States
35 years ago. It arrived here in 2003 and now has active clubs in six
tertiary institutions here.
SP’s Sife Club, which has since 2008 been helping poor rural communities in India’s Tamil Nadu state by creating various job opportunities for them, has emerged as the winner in this year’s Sife National
Competition.
Its winning project was with a community in Sukka Valli village,
where the students set up a cooperative society to sell herbs picked by
locals to vendors in bulk to secure better prices.
The villagers there have traditionally taken on menial odd jobs in
construction and illegal logging.
The students also took a loan from Indian non-profit group Deva
Krubai Social Help Association, with which they bought 16 goats that
they gave to eight families. The beneficiaries are expected to eventually
return the money to the association with 1 per cent interest.
As national winners, the SP team will represent Singapore at the
Sife World Cup in Washington DC from Sept 30 to Oct 2 in a competition co-hosted by the Office of the US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton.
The other finalist was the Sife team from Nanyang Technological University, which set up an academy for women from low-income
families here to teach cooking and supplement their family earnings.
The finalists were judged on the outcomes of their projects in the
last year.
Marcus, speaking as leader of the SP team, said: “Different communities have different needs, so we try to find solutions that suit their
conditions.”
The polytechnic’s Sife Club had in 2008 started with the village of
Sevapur, designing a greenhouse for saplings, teaching villagers how
to make compost for sale and building a computer laboratory.
Two years ago , the students first tied up with Deva Krubai to help
people in another village, Manaparrai, improve their earning power.
They did this by introducing a cash crop and teaching the women
sewing skills.
Marcus said: “We want to build their capacity to make a living. We
don’t want to just give them one-off handouts.”
[email protected]
SP students and the Chinese Development
Assistance Council worked together on
the Gift From The Heart project where they
taught housewives from low income families
how to make handicrafts for sale.
LEARNING THROUGH SERVING
Every year, hundreds of SP students travel to different corners of the world to perform
community service. Besides giving them a fresh and real perspective of the world beyond our
shores, the trips also show them the importance of serving less fortunate communities. Many of
them return with a new zeal towards life and an enthusiasm to help the less fortunate.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
Go Serve with a Heart
15
Volunteering: it Starts here and Now
By AMANDA EBER
M
HE new shop will give the polytechnic students a AKING money
from helping non-profit organisations might seem a little selfcontradictory; but the founders of
tech-social enterprise Start Now Volunteerism
Advocacy have found that business opportunities can exist comfortably in that space.
Ivan Chang and Keith Tan, both 23, believe
the non-profit sector is underserved and would
stand to benefit from some savvy business ideas,
like their own.
An active volunteer at a children’s foundation, Mr Chang is familiar with the mountain
of paperwork that administrators there have to
deal with daily.
Using outdated systems to process everything from volunteers’ personal particulars to
students’ community service forms was tedious
and time-consuming, he recalls. Furthermore,
he found that many people stop volunteering
due to a perceived lack of appreciation from the
organisations.
To help solve these issues, Mr Chang worked
with Mr Tan to build an integrated Internet portal for non-profits and volunteers alike. Not only
would non-profits be able to use technology to
manage and communicate easily with volunteers
through a central database, volunteers would
also be able to keep track of their activities with
ease.
With proper records and better communication, people would feel more motivated to continue volunteering, they reasoned.
Today, Start Now has more than 5,000 volunteers registered on its portal. And, since its official launch in February, the business has raked
in more than $9,000 in revenue.
Perhaps part of their success is due to the fact
that this is not the first time strategy head Mr
Tan and technology head Mr Chang have waded
into the business arena together.
In 2004, the pair were emerging merit winners in the Start-Up@Singapore youth category,
and were running their own apparel printing
company and providing event management and
marketing consulting services to local SMEs.
In 2007, they realised that the business potential for inter-junior college Valentine’s Day
gift exchanges was untapped.
Despite the initial logistical nightmare of
having to deal with 40,000 flowers of every colour imaginable, the venture paid off for the duo,
generating $10,000 in revenue in its first year.
They repeated that for another four years, before
deciding that they were “getting too old to continue running it”.
They say the simple flower business taught
them vital lessons now helpful with Start Now.
“We had to process all the flowers by hand,
back then,” recalls Mr Tan. They began looking
into automation after that first year
and eventually developed a computer program
to process the orders. They cut down on manual
labour and acted as middlemen between the students and florists – effectively what Start Now
does today with volunteers and non-profits.
“We see everything as an opportunity not just
to make money, but to solve a problem,” says Mr
Chang.
Still, Start Now had its share of growing pains.
Cultivating a spirit of volunteerism among Singaporeans lies at the heart of its endeavours –
but is also one of the most challenging goals Mr
Tan and Mr Chang have set for themselves.
“Start Now is essentially a call to action. It is
like a motto of life,” says Mr Chang.
Mr Tan adds: “Trying to change the mindset
of the youngsters who volunteer is definitely the
hardest part.”
They noticed that many students volunteer
only to fulfil their compulsory Community Involvement Programme (CIP) requirements,
rather than out of a desire to give back to the
community.
Berlin in 2009
“Students today are very used to simple systems, like the iPhone. They expect everything to
be that simple,” says Mr Chang.
However, as he acknowledges, the simplest
solution is often the hardest. The team slaved
over the smallest design details to make the site
as user-friendly as possible, in the hope that the
simplicity of Start Now would attract students to
use it and, hence, volunteer more.
Convincing non-profits and charities of the
value of Start Now’s service was equally hard
work, says Mr Tan.
Though Start Now currently has over 80 nonprofits on board, many were sceptical at first.
“They thought we were trying to get money
from them. It took quite a lot of convincing on
our part to let them know that our basic service
is free,” recounts Mr Tan. Start Now implements
what Mr Tan calls a “freemium” model, whereby
non-profits need to pay only when they want to
utilise extra features.
“We charge for additional services provided
to non-profit organisations such as building of
customised features and premium options including SMS functionality, customised brand
outlays, and integration with their existing website and administrative systems,” said Mr Tan.
Still, Start Now has also received its share of
support for its attempts to raise the profile of volunteering in Singapore.
Both the National University of Singapore
(NUS) and SPRING Singapore have been instrumental in getting Start Now to where it is today,
says Mr Tan.
SPRING provided them with $50,000 to
“kick-start the project”, while the NUS Grameen
Creative Lab and NUS Enterprise offered considerable “business function support”, ranging
from pro-bono legal counsel to public relations
consulting.
Mr Chang’s alma mater, the Singapore Management University’s (SMU) School of Information Systems, has also lent its facilities and
expertise to refine the business’s technological
aspects.
And life now seems to have come full circle
for the pair; eight years on, they grabbed top
honours at the Start-Up@Singapore competition yet again this year – this time in the social
enterprise category – for Start Now.
Having received $15,000 in prize funding,
they have big plans for the money.
“The international rate for calculating volunteerism is about $20 an hour, and there are
around 500,000 students in Singapore. If we
could get just 10 per cent of them to volunteer 10
hours of their time, it would generate $10 million of value for the social sector,” says Mr Tan.
“If we can generate that much every year, as a
social entrepreneur, I think I have done my job.”
If you are 17-30 years old and have an interesting
investing or entrepreneurialjourney to share,
do get in touch.
Email [email protected], with ‘Starting
Young’ in the subject header, to tell us more
Photos above added by Singapore Polytechnic
‘They (non-profits) thought we were
trying to get money from them.
It took quite a lot of convincing
on our part to let them know that
our basic service is free.’
– Mr Tan
Get started now
Be a young investor
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The BT-Citibank Young Investors’ Forum is no typical page extracted from a financial textbook. This forum will present step-bystep guides on how to start investing, feature stories of peers who
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First, we need you to invest – not your money, but your time – in
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Kuala Lumpur in 2011
Washington in 2012
The Business Times-Citibank Young Investors’ Forum is published
every Monday. It aims to raise the financial awareness of young
adults, especially tertiary students, and empower them with the
financial knowledge and skills vital to making investing and wealth
management decisions. The forum is part of Citibank’s efforts to
promote financial literacy.
SP Team won the SIFE Singapore
competition four times (2008,
2009, 2010 and 2012) and went
on to the world stage to compete
at the SIFE World Cup staged in
various countries like Malaysia,
Germany and the United States.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
16
Go Inspire: Design Thinking + Innovation
Engineering students at
SP use CDIO (ConceiveDesign-Implement-Operate),
a learning method designed
by the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, as
the basis for their inventions.
CDIO has been dubbed as
an innovative educational
framework for producing the
next generation of engineers.
Besides CDIO, SP students
also apply Design Thinking
pedagogy in their curriculum
to innovate new products and
services.
SP’s Diploma in Electrical
and Electronic Engineering
(DEEE) students invented a
traffic control system which took
them nine months to complete.
The project, costing about
$190,000, was mostly funded
by the National Research
Foundation. The system can
capture motorists who drive into
bus lanes, 24 hours a day.
BERITA HARIAN | 2 DECEMBER 2011
Pelajar poly cipta sistem pengawasan trafik
Sistem boleh kesan kenderaan yang langgar peraturan larangan memandu di lorong bas
1/7/13 11:12 AM
17
The best of
engineering
innovations by
SP students
are exhibited
at the annual
Engineering
Show held
concurrently
with the Open
House. Here
are some of the
interesting final
year projects
showcased at
Engineering
Show 2012.
THE STRAITS TIMES | 30 AUGUST 2012
1/7/13 11:12 AM
18
THE STRAITS TIMES DIGITAL LIFE | 12 SEPTEMBER 2012
Robot
3 Service
Singapore Polytechnic
mid-air refuelling UAV system
2 Autonomous
Fancy being served by a
robot in a restaurant? The
students from Singapore
Polytechnic can make that a
reality with their service
robot.
The robot is designed to
understand basic interaction with humans and even
display social behaviour
based on the interaction.
When the robot reaches
a new location, it will orientate itself by mapping the
immediate environment.
The robot can recognise
basic objects under natural
lighting and will proceed to
pick the object up and hand
it to a human.
It is also designed to
react to basic human movements in a dining situation.
For example, when handed
a cup, the robot will take it.
A UAV built for other UAVs.
That was what Singapore Polytechnic students produced with their autonomous mid-air refuelling UAV system.
They had wanted to provide additional support for UAVs not designed
for prolonged surveillance. The refuelling UAV is similar to refuelling aircrafts, which use a rigid tube to deliver fuel to other aircraft.
The UAV uses readily available technology, such as the camera, gyroscope, digital compass and global positioning system, all of which come from
an Android phone. The collected information is sent to the UAV’s controller,
which processes it to navigate the UAV without any manual control.
THE SUNDAY TIMES |
18 MARCH 2012
Soaring above
the competition
Singapore Polytechnic Aviation Club members (from left)
Jonas Hii, Yap Feng Wei, Damian Cheng and Jonathan
Liew, demonstrating their entry for this year’s Singapore
Amazing Flying Machine Competition yesterday.
Their submission, which was modelled after a pirate ship,
won them the championship title in the “Unconventional”
category.
The competition, organised by the Singapore Science
Centre and Defence Science Organisation, is aimed at
giving budding technologists a hands-on experience in areas
such as aerodynamics.
Some 300 teams entered this year’s competition, which
was held at the Singapore Science Centre.
Chow Jia Ying
T H E S T R A I T S T I M E S D I G I TA L L I F E | 1 8 J U LY 2 0 1 2
Singapore
wins big at
eco vehicle
competition
Students return with six awards,
the most bagged by a participating
country in the Shell Eco-marathon
Asia. SEOW TEIN HEE reports
Y
Photo above added by Singapore Polytechnic
ears from now, a version of Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s
prize-winning fuel-efficient car may be zipping around
the roads of Singapore.
The school finished top in two categories – Prototype and Urban Concept – at the Shell Eco-marathon
Asia competition earlier this month.
Out of the 18 participating countries at the Sepang International Circuit, Singapore teams won the highest number of ontrack and off-track awards, taking six of the 35 awards home.
The annual Shell Eco-marathon Asia competition challenges
students to design, build and drive a vehicle that can travel the
farthest distance on the least amount of fuel.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s feat in the Prototype and Urban Concept categories repeated its achievement last year.
The Prototype category focuses on fuel efficiency while Urban
Concept vehicles test the students’ proficiency in finding a balance
between fuel efficiency and real-world vehicle standards.
For its Prototype entry – its car was powered by hydrogen fuel
cells – the NP Distanza-Proto team achieved a fuel efficiency record of 112km/kWh, trumping its 84.9km/kWh performance in
the previous year.
There were no changes to the exterior of last year’s torpedoshaped vehicle but the team lowered its height to make it more
aerodynamic this year, said Mr Kaya Totong, 53, senior lecturer at
Ngee Ann Polytechnic and adviser to the students.
The team also added the Ackerman steering system, which
prevents the car’s tyres from slipping sideways when it approaches
bends or sharp turns.
“The tyres’ low-rolling resistance has also enabled the vehicle
to achieve better cruising opportunities during the test run,” added Mr Totong.
But the team’s most significant development is the power train
system. The students developed a dual-gear electronic shifting
system which lets them utilise different gears under different circumstances to improve fuel efficiency.
“It is just like a typical car: When you drive in low gear, you
have the power. But when you want to go faster, you tap the paddle
shift to use the more efficient high gear,” said Mr Totong.
Its electric battery-powered NP Distanza-UC Urban Concept
vehicle, which scored 118.8km/kWh, is a brand new design. The
team chose to overhaul its previous entry and went with a new,
monocoque design.
Despite the difficulties in fabricating the inner and outer chassis as a single unit, the team managed to trim the vehicle’s weight
from 105kg to 75kg with the same carbon fibre material used in its
previous entry.
“We also researched and developed a whole new power train,
analysing the competition ground and fine-tuning its system to
reduce the mechanic drag,” said Mr Totong.
Singapore Polytechnic’s entry in the Prototype category produced impressive results, clocking 109.9km/kWh for its solarpowered vehicle, SunSPEC. It won under the Prototype sub-category of solar for fuel-type.
Dr Lawrence Ng, senior lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic and
team adviser to the students, attributed the win to the students’ attention to details. Students made improvements to the suspension
unit, chassis design and electrical circuit.
Learning beyond their usual course boundaries helped the
team.
“For example, a mechanical engineering student had to understand the technical functions of a solar panel and its peripherals,
while a clean energy student had to understand the vehicle design,
which they don’t normally learn in their course of studies,” said
Dr Ng.
Nanyang Technological University’s Diesel Car Racing Team
was recognised for adhering to stringent safety standards and returned with the off-track safety award for the third consecutive
year.
The safety features of the Nanyang Venture IV car included an
innovative telemetric system, which streams a live video feed to
the command post and is able to pinpoint the exact location of the
car; a secure six-point harness safety belt instead of the required
five-point harness; and a tough bulkhead which can withstand
more than
1,400 newtons of force, double the regulation of 700 newtons.
Such details were the reasons why the team won, said Associate Professor Ng Heong Wah, 56, who is the faculty adviser to the
students.
[email protected]
CONGRATS, SINGAPORE WINNERS
ENGINEERING
The Shell Eco-Marathon is divided into two main categories:
Prototype and Urban Concept. The Prototype category focuses on fuel efficiency and cutting-edge technology while Urban
Concept vehicles test the students’ proficiency in finding a balance between fuel efficiency and roadworthiness. Each main
category are divided into eight sub-categories according to the
fuel type: hydrogen, solar, battery electric, petrol, diesel, biodiesel, alternative petrol and alternative diesel.
Prototype category
School: Nanyang Technological University
Team: Nanyang eDrive
Fuel type: Battery electric
Results: 522km/kWh
Rank: 2
School: Nanyang Technological University
Team: NTU Diesel Car Racing Team
Fuel type: Diesel
Results: 350.6km/l
Rank: 2
School: Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Team: NP Distanza-Proto
Fuel type: Hydrogen
Results: 112km/kWh
Rank: 1
School: Singapore Polytechnic
Team: SunSPEC
Fuel type: Solar
Results: 109.9km/kWh
Rank: 1
1/7/13 11:12 AM
19
THE NEW PAPER | 7 JANUARY 2010
SP is the first
polytechnic to
offer engineering
diploma courses
and also the pioneer
of several popular
courses such
as Aeronautical
Engineering (DARE)
and Clean Energy
(DCEG). In 2013,
SP will launch the
first-ever Diploma
in Engineering
Systems (DES).
Scan these codes
for diploma courses
offered by the
School of Electrical
and Electronic
Engineering and
the School of
Mechanical and
Aeronautical
Engineering.
Energy-saving
Device wins
PS21 Top Award
A
SP engineering invention that has the potential
to save millions of dollars if widely implemented
in Singapore has clinched the Best PS21 Project
Gold Award at the 2012 PS21 ExCEL Convention.
The event is held annually to recognise innovative ideas and
outstanding initiatives by individuals and teams which have
had significant impact within and beyond their organisation. The Best PS21 Project Gold Award, the top honours,
is given out to highlight projects that best exemplify the ExCEL spirit as well as to affirm and commend inter-agency
collaboration efforts demonstrated by the project teams.
SP’s iSave project, a light dimming device, was developed
by six staff from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Technology Development Office of Singapore Polytechnic. It was lauded for its ability to reduce
energy consumption and wastage from lighting systems in
public areas such as car parks, workshops and social spaces
on SP campus. As the number of visitors to these public
areas fluctuates throughout the day, there is less than optimum usage of the energy needed to power up the lightings.
With the new device, when no motion is detected over a
The PS21 Best Project
winning team with Mr
Peter Ong, Head of Civil
Service at the 2012 PS21
ExCEL Convention Forum
and Award Ceremony.
From left: Toh Ser Khoon,
Hui Wing Hong, Jolyon P
Caplin, Peter Ong, Chia
Chow Leong, Tsui Ping and
Chong Wee Tat.
set interval, it will automatically and progressively dim the
fluorescent light to ensure maximum comfort to the eyes.
This will also ensure that there is adequate light in the area
and that public safety will not be compromised.
This unique lighting solution has achieved a breakthrough
in technology. It has resulted in the setting up of numerous
spin-offs and adoption by other companies and organisations in Singapore, with more than 4,000 i-Saves installed by
the middle of 2012. This brought about an estimated annual
energy savings of $150,000. The project was also nominated
and selected to represent Singapore at the World Conference on Quality and Improvement in the USA next year.
The team will continue to seek out organisations both in
and outside of Singapore that can benefit from the installation of i-Save, to reduce energy consumption globally.
Through studying this project, SP engineering students also
learned how to solve real-life problems and understood the
importance of energy saving.
The iSave device (top) is implemented
on the sheltered walkway outside
Singapore Polytechnic, along
Commonwealth Avenue West.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
20
THE BUSINESS TIMES | 31 AUGUST 2012
LIANHE ZAOBAO | 27 DECEMBER 2011
THE STRAITS TIMES |
S A T U R D A Y, 2 6 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1
Summary of
Chinese article
A team from
the Diploma in
Games Design
and Development
(DGDD) clinched
the top prize in
a flash game
development
competition
organised by
the Central
Narcotics Bureau
and the National
Council Against
Drug Abuse.
The game was
made available
via Facebook.
Scan this code
for details on
this interesting
diploma course
where students
learn to develop
exciting digital
games.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
21
THE STRAITS TIMES | 12 NOVEMBER 2011
THE STRAITS TIMES | 8 JUNE 2012
SP TEAM CAME IN
NO. 2 AT WORLD APP
COMPETITION
A team of recent graduates from the School
of Digital Media and Infocomm Technology
won the local leg of ThinkQuest 2012, a
competition organised by technology giant
Oracle that challenges students to solve
problems using technology. With that, they
bagged the rights to participate in the
international leg and packed their bags for
a fully-paid five-day trip at the international
finals in San Francisco. The team, who
graduated from the diplomas in Information
Technology (DIT) and Infocomm Security
Management (DISM), did not disappoint.
They fought opponents from countries like
France, India and China to win the second
prize in the Application Development category
and came home with a laptop each. The first
prize went to a university team from Serbia.
Their winning app, called Frevol Friends, is
one that harnesses social media technology
and peer influence to connect volunteers
with organisations and provide a convenient
way for friends to encourage other friends to
participate in charitable work together.
After the intense competition, the guys took
in the sights of San Francisco and visited the
must-see landmarks in the city. These include
the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, California
Academy of Science and the Bay City area.
The SP team in San Francisco (from left)
Jason Sim, Kenneth Ho, lecturer and
coach Low Jin Kiat, and Chua Si Hao –
2nd runner up at the ThinkQuest 2012
international finals.
Scan this code for details on diploma courses
offered by the School of Digital Media and
Infocomm Technology.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
22
Our Alumni Our Pride
THE BUSINESS TIMES | 19 NOVEMBER 2012
STARTING YOUNG
Helping firms
in branding
through music
Express in Music co-founder tells TEH SHI
NING how his firm progressed from a dismal
start to planning expansion in the region now
“THINGS are really going to change
very soon. This is our pivoting
point,” says Jerry Chen, the 27-yearold co-founder of Express in Music
(EIM), a crowd-sourcing platform
linking musicians to businesses interested in music-related branding.
Just this week, he shares, EIM
firmed up plans to open representative sales offices in China and Indonesia– its first stab at going regional.
But EIM’s current state of affairs
is a far cry from the dismal picture
of two to three years ago, when Mr
Chen decided to quit his job in anevents marketing company to start
his own business.
“I’ve always been a very business
person,” he says. So in 2009, he
linked up with an army buddy and
musician, Adriel Chan, to launch a
start-up centred on helping
independent musicians monetise
their compositions.
Pooling their own savings together, they put $12,000 into the venture, which first began as a platform
to match musicians and composers
to individuals who wanted personalised songs, such as for weddings.
“That was a complete disaster, a
real flop!” Mr Chen now says, recalling that bleak first year, during
which he and Mr Chan had to get
by on the paltry allowances they
paid
themselves.
But they learnt a valuable business lesson. “We need to under-
stand and recognise the difference
between needs and wants. A couple
might want a personalised love song
for their wedding, but it’s hard
to make it a ‘need’”.
Apart from problems with the
original business model, Mr Chen
says that the young, first-time entrepreneurs also found themselves
slipping up on other details. “Simple things like accounting, things
can go really wrong: Receipts were
misplaced, records were not done
properly,” he says.
However, that first year was not
entirely wasted as it was then that
they built up their database of musicians, which is now 30,000-strong.
Most of these are based in the
United States, Europe, Singapore,
Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. That database, and the lack of
interest from consumers, set the
stage for their first change of focus:
to target businesses instead.
“We decided to market to companies instead, showing them the
value of crowd-sourcing to get a
corporate theme song, or a TV
commercial jingle, or a song they
can play in their retail outlets,” says
Mr Chen.
Although that netted them
stronger sales, it still wasn’t quite
the scalable, sustainable business
Mr Chen wanted. “I believe a startup can’t stay a start-up forever. If
after 10 years you’re still a start-up,
something’s wrong. You have to
Mr Chen:
Says Express in Music’s
database of musicians is now
30,000-strong, with most of them
based in the United States,
Europe, Singapore, Indonesia,
Philippines and Malaysia
grow, to become an SME, and then
a bigger SME and then hopefully
even bigger.”
He thinks the key to u lock that
sort of a future for EIM came to
them late last year, when an older,
more experienced engineer, Mikey
Chow, joined the now seven-person
strong team.
Streaming music
Not only did Mr Chow help to iron
out business processes within the
start-up, he also brought with him
the patent for a set-top box which
he designed to stream music in retail outlets. Such a box allows central control of the playlists which
can be streamed through a restaurant or clothing store’s speakers.
“Companies’ management want
this, because the ambience of a
store is important, it’s part of their
image. But if it’s left to the control of
the service staff, they will just play
the music they like, which may not
fit the image the company has,” says
Mr Chen.
While Mr Chow prevously had
problems with licensing for music
streamed from his device, EIM has
been able to tap its huge pool of
independent musicians to generate
suitable music that it can license.
This “background environmental music” business segment, which
works on a subscrition model, has
created a far more stable cash flow
for EIM.
Mr Chen says the streaming
device is now used in 150 outlets
round the island, including those of
Charles & Keith, Crocs Singapore,
The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC)
and Swensen’s. EIM also has about
10 resellers in Singapore who help
to market the product for a commission. Subscription fees range
from $720 to $1,500 a year, depending on the
size of each outlet.
Mr Chen thinks this will now be
EIM’s main source of growth, and it
is with this as a main product that
the firm is venturing into sales in
China and Indonesia.
Now that he has some experience under his belt, Mr Chen says
his passion extends beyond growing
EIM, to mentoring younger startups within the InnoVillagestart-up
incubator space at Singapore Polytechnic, where EIM’s offices are.
Marketing strategy
He is eager to deliver a dose of realism to dreamy young entrepreneurs. “The statistics show that 9697 per cent of start-ups actually
fail, and while 3-4 per cent that survive, maybe only less than one percent can be said to actually succeed.
That’s something the younger
start-ups won’t hear very often,” he
says.
There is also an over-emphasis
on, and faith in, branding and marketing. “I tell them, you need to be
practical, be focused, get sales. A lot
of start-ups get carried away with
branding, they present a beautiful
marketing straegy and think sales
will automatically come, but that’s
not true!” he says.
After all, EIM learnt that the
hard way – it put $5,000 to $6,000
into a marketing campaign in its
early years that yielded zero returns.
He also shares the importance
of being focused. This was a lesson
from the brief period during which
EIM decided to diversify into teaching school children how to use the
iPad in music classes. “It wasn’t
well-planned, bad for our cash flow,
not a good idea at all,” Mr Chen
now says.
EIM recently secured a six-digit
sum from an investor, which will
help with its growth plans. This is
in addition to an earlier $50,000
received from Spring Singapore under what used to be known as the
Young Entrepreneur Scheme (YES!)
for Startups.
Mr Chen says the firm has already received interest from overseas players with a similar business
model, and he is not averse to one
day selling EIM. “But for now, we
are just focused on making sure we
can sustain adequate return on investment for our stakeholders,” he
says.
THE STRAITS TIMES URBAN | 6 NOVEMBER 2012
1/7/13 11:12 AM
Our Alumni Our Pride
23
Making
music
SP is the only polytechnic to offer
the Diploma in Music and
Audio Technology (DMAT).
The course integrates music
composition with recording and
mixing, with an emphasis on
creativity. Students gain hands-on
experience working with musicrelated companies and performing
their works for the industry and
public. Well-equipped studios will
enable the students to compose,
perform, record and edit their
works using state-of-the-art
technology. Some of the graduates
from this course are continuing
their education at established
music universities like Berklee
College of Music in United States
and Keele University in United
Kingdom.
Students from the School of Architecture and The Built Environment embark
on overseas trips to get fresh perspectives on subjects relevant to their
course of study. For example, a group of Diploma in Architecture
(DARCH) students went to Italy and the Middle East to study the architectural
heritage there while another group went to Stanford University to attend
workshops on environmental sustainability.
Scan this QR code for details on courses offered by this school.
1/7/13 11:12 AM
24
Poly reject
gets first-class
honours in
university
REPORT: LIM YUFAN
[email protected]
Indonesian youth chosen as NTU’s
Nanyang Business School valedictorian
S
IX years ago, he left Bintan, Indonesia, as a 17-year-old to
pursue his education in Singapore. But he met with rejection from four of our five polytechnics.
His senior high school certificate from Indonesia was not
good enough, and he wasnot offered a place.
Singapore Polytechnic (SP) was the only one to give him a
break and allowed himto sit for its entrance tests.
Fast forward to three years ago.
Mr Iwan Yuliyanto graduated as one of SP’s top students, with
a grade point average of 3.98.
He was also offered a scholarship by SembCorp Industries to
read accountancy at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Fast forward again to last month.
Mr Yuliyanto, 23, was nominated as valedictorian of NTU’s
Nanyang Business School (NBS), after graduating with a firstclass honours degree.
Not even he would have dreamt of this outcome.
Not after having to work two part-time jobs, at Subway and
Starbucks, when he was in SP just to pay his school fees.
Lost 30kg
He weighed 105kgwhenhe firstcameto Singapore.
But within 11/2 years, he lost 30kg due to the stress of juggling
schoolwork and two jobs.
He wanted to pursue a degree in accountancy at NTU, but
history repeated itself, and he was rejected twice.
He was offered a place to read economics instead.
But Mr Yuliyan to remained unfazed.
“I appealed and managed to get an interview with the associate
dean,” he said. “She agreed to give me a place to study accountancy .”
Mr Yuliyanto, who used to call home crying, started in NTU in
2009.
With the scholarship from SembCorp Industries, his financial
troubles eased, and he could focus more on his studies.
But that did not mean that he spent all his time in his room.
He kept himself even busier by taking part in co-curricular
activities (CCAs) and hall activities.
“Back in SP, I had to survive just to make ends meet, and I didn’t
really have a chance to contribute to the school,” said Mr Yuliyanto,
who is now a finance executive at SembCorp Industries.
“At NTU, I wanted to make full use of my time, take part in
CCAs, and contribute to NBS and society.”
During his time at NTU, he organised charity projects to raise
funds for a children’s home.
He also took the initiative to set up the NBS Exchange Club to
help overseas exchange students have a more comfortable time in
Singapore.
The club did welcome overseas exchange students at the airport and helpedthem check into the hostel.
Mr Nicholas Ee, who works at NBS’ undergraduate
programmes office, said that Mr Yuliyanto has good leadership
qualities.
He said: “Iwan displayed a lot of charisma by rallying the local
and overseas exchange students to get the whole network going.”
Even though he received a monthly allowance of around $650
from his scholarship, Mr Yuliyanto still worked on weekends as a
waiter during his first 11/2 years in NTU.
He said: “Besides saving, I also wanted to give money to my
mum.”
His mother, a housewife, is his source of inspiration and
motivation.
“I really want to do her proud, and hopefully, I can bring her
over to Singapore one day too.”
He was popular among his schoolmates.
Mr Tan Thiam Kee, Mr Yuliyanto’s roommate at the student
hostel, said: “He is smart, friendly, and is always very willing to
help his friends out.
“Earlier this year, I lost my wallet while playing badminton
with my friends, and Iwan made the effort to go to every faculty
office to look for it. He even offered to lend me money.”
Miss Soh Jia Juan, Mr Yuliyanto’s schoolmate in both SP and
NTU, said: “He’s a born leader and shows maturity in the way he
thinks and handles conflicts.
“Together with another friend, we went for a graduation trip to
Taiwan, and he was the entertainer of the group. He is really jovial
and humorous.”
On his dreams, Mr Yuliyanto said: “I will fulfil my bond with the
company, and I hope to pursuean MBA.
“I’ll also like to open a food and beverage business in the
future and set up an SP scholarship as I want to give back to the
community.”
“Earlier this year, I lost
my wallet while playing
badminton with my
friends, and Iwan made
the effort to go to every
faculty office to look for
it. He even offered to
lend me money.”
– Mr Tan Thiam Kee on his roommate,
Mr Iwan Yuliyanto (above)
THE STRAITS TIMES | 21 JANUARY 2012
Moving closer
to her dream
A bond-free scholarship from NTU gives
Ms Kareen Thian the flexibility to choose
her career path after she graduates
Photo: Chong Jun Liang
by april chong
SHE may have big dreams but nothing is going to stop
Ms Kareen Thian from pursuing her ambition to be the
chief financial officer of a large organisation one day.
The 22-year-old is now one step closer to her
dream after securing the Nanyang Scholarship
from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
and the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship To Encourage
Upgrading (LKY-STEP) Award.
They will come in handy for Ms Thian, who is
currently pursuing a Bachelor of Accountancy at
NTU’s Nanyang Business School.
“My family was most delighted and grateful
to know that I have been offered the scholarship
and award, as these greatly lighten the financial
burden on my family,” says Ms Thian, who has three
siblings. Her mother works as a factory machine
operator while her father is a hawker.
Her path to tertiary studies had not been an easy
one, and this makes her current achievements all the
more remarkable.
She did not do well during her junior college
days due to bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder. After
pulling herself out of the doldrums, she went on to do
a diploma in accountancy at Singapore Polytechnic.
However, her health took a hit again when she was
diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disorder.
“Both bulimia nervosa and lupus have taught
me a very important life lesson — that in times of
adversity, I could either give up and end up none the
better; or choose to live with a positive mindset and
let nothing get me down.
“These personal challenges only made me more
determined, as I came out a stronger person than
before,” she says.
Her interest in accountancy was piqued when she
was working as an accounts assistant after her junior
college days, and was introduced to concepts such as
debits and credits.
She then decided to pursue the subject as she felt
that there would be many career opportunities if she
had an accounting background.
She also set her mind to continue with a Bachelor
of Accountancy course at NTU and was delighted to
get the Nanyang Scholarship, and later the LKY-STEP
Award, which gave her an additional one-off cash
award of $3,500, to finance her studies.
Both are bond-free, giving her the flexibility to
explore different areas of interest and allowing her
to choose from the wide spectrum of careers in the
accounting and financial sector after graduation, she says.
Financial support aside, Ms Thian also gets priority
in NTU’s Global Immersion Programme and has been
given many other development opportunities.
These include the Nanyang Scholars Programme,
where scholars are given leadership training
opportunities and are invited to take on the role of
Scholar Ambassadors in representing the university
to give publicity talks, receive guests and represent the
university at outreach events.
“Such programmes give us the added exposure,
build character and also instil confidence in all of
us to be positive role models in society,” she says.
On facing an interview panel of three last year, she
recalls: “On the whole, I felt that the interview process
was rather stringent.
“Good grades alone are almost insufficient for one
to secure a scholarship, as not many questions were
asked about my grades.
“Scholarship providers are now looking for allrounders — people who not only excel in their studies,
but also possess leadership qualities and exemplary
conduct.”
Her advice for aspiring scholars: “Always strive to
give your best in everything that you do. There is no
shortcut to success. Working hard and perseverance
will pay off in the end.
“Also, believe in yourself and have a never-say-die
attitude.”
It is also practical to develop good time
management skills, which is essential if one aims to be
an all-rounder, she adds.
“With so many activities to participate in, one
must be able to budget one’s time carefully to ensure
that there is time allocated for activities, studies and
also for family and close friends.”
‘
Good grades alone are almost insufficient for one to secure a scholarship,
as not many questions were asked
about my grades.
’
— Ms Kareen Thian (above)
1/7/13 11:13 AM
25
Taking a
break to win
When Kuriakin Zeng returned for a break after completing
his second year at Harvard, he took the time to develop an
app called iForm, a next generation survey and audience
response system. After users create their survey online
using iForm’s fast and intuitive creation tool, a QR code
for that form will be generated. The survey form will be
revealed when the QR code is scanned. Upon submission,
the responses are collected and presented graphically at
the web application. This app won the first prize at SP Mob
Fest 2012 for the Staff App Developer Category.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
26
The Excellence Continues
THE BUSINESS TIMES | 24 JANUARY 2009
THE STRAITS TIMES | 12 FEBRUARY 2011
EAR-MARKED FOR
THE INDUSTRY
John Ser receiving his SGiS
scholarship from Mr Dicky Koh,
Chief Financial Officer of Charles
& Keith Group. He will embark on
a career in retail management with
the award-winning local enterprise
upon his graduation from SMU.
Fifteen recent SP graduates have clinched the inaugural Singapore-Industry Scholarship
(SgIS) launched by the government this year. This scholarship was launched with support
from some of the finest local enterprises and organisations that include Charles and
Keith, Resorts World Sentosa and Singapore Power. It aims to nurture a strong core
of Singapore talent with the requisite skills and capabilities to steer and contribute to
strategic sectors. SgIS scholars will have opportunities to acquire knowledge of their
industries early, even while they are studying in university. Upon graduation, scholars will
embark on exciting careers with their sponsoring organisations. The scholarship covers
tuition fees and other expenses such as book, computer and hostel allowances and
overseas exchange programmes. All recipients have to sign a three-to four-year bond
with their sponsorship company which will tailor development programmes for them
during their studies and as soon as they embark on their careers upon graduation.
The SP graduates receiving the SgIS are now pursuing their degree programmes at
the Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore
Management University.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
The Excellence Continues
27
Andrew Yee, a
graduate from the
Diploma in Media
and Communication
and now an undergraduate in NTU, was
the overall winner in
the Youth category
at the 4th Singapore
Young Photographer
Award 2012.
Scan code for
diploma courses
offered by the
School of Communication,
Arts and Social
Sciences.
Three Times
A Winner
Tanya Chua graduated from
SP with a Diploma in Business
Administration (Public Relations
and Advertising). Her journey
in the music scene is nothing
but meteoric. Her compositions
and singing prowess are well
recognised internationally. Tanya
is the only female singer to
clinch the Best Female Singer
award three times at the Taiwan’s
Golden Melody Awards, dubbed
the Grammys for the Chinese
music industry.
THE NEW PAPER | 21 OCTOBER 2012
Top student choses to serve burgers as her job
1/7/13 11:13 AM
28
All-rounded Achiever
T H E N E W P A P E R | 1 7 J U LY 2 0 1 2
T H E S T R A I T S T I M E S | 1 3 J U LY 2 0 1 2
Off to London,
gunning for a
personal best
REPORT: LIM SAY HENG
[email protected]
After twists and turns,
Yeo looks ahead to
sprint glory in London,
then SEA Games
I
F FATE had taken a different turn, Gary Yeo
would be charging up and down hills as a
career soldier, instead of sprinting down
stadium tracks.
After a stellar season last year, the 25-year-old
will march onto the biggest stage of them all when
he takes his place in the heats of the men’s 100m
at the 2012 Olympic Games in Londonon Aug 4.
It hasbeen an improbable journey, according
to Yeo.
“I never thought I would represent Singapore when I started running in Victoria School.
I thought I would sign on in the army or police,
eventually,” he said.
After his O Levels, Yeo went on to Singapore
Polytechnicandsucessfully obtained deferment
from National Service to compete in his first
South-east Asia (SEA)Games in 2007.
When he finally got his first taste of the army
during basic military training in 2008, it just
didn’t feel right.
He decided the army was not for him and
joined the Singapore Management University
after National Service to pursue a business degree.
That was in 2010.
One year later, he stormed to a silver medal in
the men’s 100m final at the 2011 SEA Games in
Palembang, Indonesia, and was part of the Singapore men’s 4x100m relay team who were only just
pipped to the gold medal by the hosts.
Highest point
Yeo, who clocked a personal best of 10.46sec
in Indonesia, said: “The 100m silver medal was
definitely the highest point in my sprinting career.
I never thought it would be possible.
“It was only a month before the SEA Games
thatmycoach (Melvin Tan) and I felt I had a
chance at a medal since I was getting good times
during training.”
Yeo, a former hockey player in school, was
part of the 4x100m relay team who set a new national record of 39.82sec – the previous mark was
40.10sec –whenthe Singapore quartet won silver
at the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane.
Muhd Elfi Mustapa, Lee Cheng Wei, Muhd
Amiruddin Jamal and Yeo sealed their place in
Singapore’s history books when they became
the first quartet from the Republic to break the
40-second barrier in the event.
The two silvers from the 2011 SEA Games
helped Yeo end the year on a high, after he struggled to juggle training, studies and his part-time
work as a coach – as well as a knee injury – for the
better part of the season.
This year, he has already competed at the prestigious Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in
Hangzhou and the World Indoor Championships
in Istanbul.
He was also part of the national 4x100m relay team who rewrote the national record again,
when they clocked 39.58 at the Kanchanaburi leg
of the Asian Grand Prix in May.
The year has certainly been good for Yeo so far.
He recently got engaged to his childhood sweetheart of 13 years and he’s raring to have a go at the
Olympics.
Eye on the future
Yeo, who recently went for a three-week training
stint in Japan, said: “I am aiming to lower my time
in London and even though it is not at the optimum level yet, it’s slowly coming down, just like
my coach and I have planned.”
The men’s 100m final in London threatens to
be one for the ages, with Usain Bolt being eyed up
by a host of challengers led by Yohan Blake.
Singapore’s Yeo, who will be running at the
Games after a wild-card invite, will go unnoticed
amid all the hype surrounding the event, almost
certainly enjoying one run out in his heat.
But Yeo is looking to learn as he targets glory at
next year’sSEA Games.
He said: “I am aiming for two golds next year,
in the 100m and the 4x100m relay.
“It’s very possible in the relay, since we’ve
actually bettered our national mark recently.”
After that, the sprinter aims to bring the
curtain down on his running career when Singapore hosts the SEA Gamesin 2015.
He said: “When I go overseas to compete
at major Games, the crowd is not made up of
Singaporeans.
“I want to experience racing in a stadium full
of Singaporeans and I think I will thrive under
such a situation anddo better.”
GARY YEO ON THE UPCOMING OLYMPICS
“I am aiming to
lower my timing in
London and even
though it is not at the
optimum level yet,
it’s slowly coming
downas what my
coach and I have
planned.”
YEO (TOP) ON NEXT YEAR’S SEA GAMES
“I am aiming for
two gold medals
next year, in the
100mand in the
4x100m relay.”
SAILOR AND
SCHOLAR
Sean Lee, a graduate from
the Diploma in Business
Information Technology
(DBIT), is also a national sailor
who has won several medals
at regional and international
competitions. He graduated
from SP with the Lee Kuan Yew
Medal and will be heading to
NTU to pursue a double degree
under the Nanyang Scholarship.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
All-rounded Achiever
29
T H E S U N D AY T I M E S | 1 5 J U LY 2 0 1 2
Sen Poh Kang graduated from
the Diploma in Aeronautical
Engineering (DARE) in 2012. During
his three years at SP, he was also
leading Gusto!, SP’s Cheerleading Team.
Under his leadership, the team came in
first at the annual Singapore National
Cheerleading Championships organised
by the Federation of Cheerleading
Singapore and Singapore Sports
Council. For his outstanding leadership,
he was selected to lead Team LIONS,
the Singapore cheerleading team, to
participate in the Cheerleading Asia
Invitational Open 2012, an international
meet held yearly in Japan. Team LIONS
came in second overall, amidst tough
competition from formidable competitors
from countries like Japan, Taiwan and
Thailand. Poh Kang will be heading
to NTU to study accountancy after his
national service.
L I A N H E Z A O B A O | 4 J U LY 2 0 1 2
1/7/13 11:13 AM
30
Space for Excellence
SP’s InnoVillage
gives start-ups
space to mix
BY LIN ZHAOWEI
SINGAPORE Polytechnic (SP) alumnus Jerry Chen, 26, started
a business selling original music compositions in 2009 after he
left his first job.
But he and his partner could not afford to rent an office,
so they worked from home. Later, they moved to a temporary
space provided by SP.
In May last year, they moved to a new rent-free incubator
space at the polytechnic called InnoVillage, and found a home
for their fledging company, Express In Music. They were one
of its first tenants, and have done well so far. Sales are set to hit
$100,000 this year.
InnoVillage is not just a space for nurturing start-ups like
Mr Chen’s. Located in a shady corner of the SP campus at Dover Road, it is also a place for design, innovation and research
and development.
At the same time, it serves as a focal point for alumni activity, providing opportunities for past and current students to
mingle and network.
Speaking to The Straits Times at InnoVillage recently, SP
principal Tan Hang Cheong said the idea of setting up the integrated space was conceived about five years ago.
The concept took shape in 2008, when SP secured ownership of the disused container offices from JTC Corporation’s
Phase Z.Ro Technopreneur Park near Buona Vista MRT,
which has since closed. About 80 per cent of the materials used
to build InnoVillage were recycled from there.
That and the use of clean technology such as solar panels
earned it the Building and Construction Authority’s top certification for environmentally friendly buildings.
It was completed in late 2009, and has office space for new
business and social entrepreneurship start-ups, where occupants are expected to move out after two years.
The Student Agency, a design and advertising company run
by students and alumni, is also based there.
One of the research centres at InnoVillage is the Live Well
Collaborative, a Procter and Gamble initiative focusing on
products and services for those aged 50 and above.
The other four polys here also have their own entrepreneurship centres and research labs. But InnoVillage is different as it
houses these offices in the same compound, providing opportunities for interaction.
“For innovation to be effective, we need the three wheels of
technology, business and design to work in tandem.
How do we bring these together under one place?
That was what we aimed to achieve,” said Mr Tan, who has
helmed the poly since 2007.
“People may ask, why not just use a three-storey building...
But InnoVillage is different because it’s this mixing together
that provides the environment to encourage the generation of
ideas.”
To provide a convenient space for business meetings and
interaction, a cafe was set up in collaboration with local cafe
Kaffee Kultur. It is also a training ground for students to learn
how to make and blend coffee.
Mr Tan said new start-ups must come in all the time to
maintain the energy and drive of InnoVillage.
“For start-ups, our message is: After you grow, you move
out. I told the staff that there should be no permanent tenant in
this place,” he said.
“I hope that when visitors come back here one year later,
this place will have different tenants.”
CHANGE IS GOOD
“For start-ups, our message is: After you grow,
you move out. I told the staff that there should be
no permanent tenant in this place.”
Singapore Polytechnic principal Tan Hang Cheong
Secondary students learn to innovate
THE NEW PAPER |
10 JANUARY 2012
Varsity-level course combining business and
design modified for Sec 1 and 2 students at SJI
BY STACEY CHIA
A COURSE normally taught at university level to encourage innovation is
finding a place in secondary schools as well.
Starting this year, Secondary 1 and 2 students at St Joseph’s Institution
(SJI) will have to take Business Design Thinking, a course that incorporates business and design thinking, as one of their subjects.
They will be taught business fundamentals and how to think creatively
through theoretical and practical lessons.
But unlike the courses offered in universities, especially in North
America where such programmes are popular, the teaching of the subject
will be adapted to cater to younger students, while still giving them an idea
of what is required in business.
“Courses on financial literacy would be too much for their age, and we
also wanted to instil the importance of creativity,” said Mr Kyris Ang, who
is head of the programme at SJI.
“The innovations that they come up with may not be feasible now, but
who’s to say that they won’t be ideas for tomorrow?”
He added that the school introduced the subject with the intention of
providing students an important and safe platform to learn and fail.
“We want to teach them to view failure positively, and to learn from
mistakes, which is what innovation is about,” he said.
For example, one of the activities students take part in is a challenge
to create the tallest tower out of uncooked spaghetti. The tower has to be
strong enough to balance a marshmallow.
Through an activity like this, students not only take away design principles such as ensuring what they build serves its purpose, but also pick up
on team building and brainstorming skills.
SJI started a pilot last year with three Secondary 1 classes. Mr Ang said
the programme was successful, judging from the heated debates and interest in class.
The SJI curriculum was conceptualised with the help of Singapore
Polytechnic (SP) and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of
Management.
Being the pioneer in the field of merging business and design thinking,
The Rotman School provided input on SP’s curriculum as well.
The polytechnic’s Business School will be launching the Diploma in
Business Innovation and Design this year, which will be heavily focused
on the two disciplines of business and design thinking.
SJI students (from left) Ayden Mohan, Mark Wee, Oo Guoxuan and Daryl Wong at the
Business Design Thinking class, which trains students to think like product designers
and come up with innovative solutions to problems. ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
Ms Phyllis Peter, deputy director of SP’s Business School, said the course
aims to encourage students to think out of the box and come up with innovative ideas that could translate into business concepts.
“Students with a sound grounding in business and the added advantage
of the ‘out of the box’ thinking will bring significant value to businesses
looking to innovate,” said Ms Peter.
According to SP, five other secondary schools have approached it to
start a similar programme. SP declined to name the schools.
Although design thinking is popular in North American universities
such as Stanford University and Parsons The New School for Design, it is
only just gaining momentum in Singapore.
The Singapore University of Technology and Design, for example, is
weaving design thinking into its degree programmes.
Although recognised formally as a subject, SJI students will not have to
sit any written examinations and will be graded based on project work.
Secondary 2 student Louis Quah, who is part of the pilot group of SJI
students taking the subject, said he enjoys the class.
“We don’t have to do a lot of work for it and the homework we get
is fun. I think it will help me come up with ideas when I want to start a
business,” he said.
[email protected]
DESIGN
THINKING
The way to learning and teaching in SP
1/7/13 11:13 AM
Work Ready
31
THE SUNDAY TIMES | 3 JUNE 2012
Nick Ng is now a landscape designer after getting his SP diploma.
Photos added by
Mabel Low graduates top of her Experience and Product Design course in SP and is now working as a designer.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
32
Scholarship Partner
THE STRAITS TIMES |
10 SEPTEMBER 2012
Keppel sets up
foundation
to channel
charity efforts
SP Principal Mr Tan Hang Cheong (extreme right) receives the cheque
from Keppel Care Foundation, witnessed by (from left) Mr Choo Chiau
Beng (CEO of Keppel Corporation), Dr Lee Boon Yang (Chairman,
Keppel Corporation), former President of Singapore Mr S R Nathan and
Mrs Alice Chua. Photo above added by Singapore Polytechnic
SP Wong Wei
Yu from SP’s
Diploma in
Civil Engineering
with Business
is one of the
recipients of the
BCA Scholarship.
Scholarships
SP works
with an
impressive list of
companies and
organisations
to offer
scholarships
to outstanding
students. These
include the
Building and
Construction
Authority,
Challenger,
Dairy Farm,
Land Transport
Authority,
Microsoft,
Ministry of
National
Development,
Challenger,
Red Hat,
Singapore
Maritime
Foundation and
SMRT, among
others.
Photo by
Singapore
Polytechnic
L I A N H E Z A O B A O | 1 5 J U LY 2 0 1 2
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a polytechnic and a Ministry,
five SP students from the pioneer cohort of the Diploma in Business
Innovation and Design (DBID) will receive a total scholarship
sum of $75,000. This is made possible by a generous grant from
the Ministry of National Development (MND) which recognises the
importance of infusing Design Thinking as the new approach to improve
business processes for the future.
The scholarship will pay for their three-year tuition fee at SP and
expenses for a two-week Boot Camp at Rotman DesignWorks in the
University of Toronto, Canada – which is one of the highlights for
this new diploma course. Rotman is one of the world’s best business
schools and a global leader in business design. In return, the scholars
will serve a 15-week internship and two-year bond after graduation at a
MND agency of their choice.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
Scholarship Partner
33
Hooked on
technology
I would say that there
is no better option
than being paid to
study and work in an
industry one is
passionate about!
— Mr Chi Kok Pin
by cheryl tay
An Integrated Infocomm Scholarship brings
IT enthusiasts like Mr Chi Kok Pin closer to
their dream of being technopreneurs
WHEN he graduates from university, Mr Chi Kok Pin aims to
work in a multinational company (MNC) with global information technology (IT) facilities, gain the experience and knowledge
to strike it out as a technopreneur, continue as an organisational
IT person or move into research in academia.
He hopes to grasp the skills necessary in the field of cuttingedge networks and IT security and that the experience will include
exploring new ways of enhancing seamless and secure networks,
as well as the chance to help in designing and implementing new
and better systems.
Influenced by his uncle who worked in the infocomm industry
and took him to gaming competitions, Mr Chi, currently an IT
student from Singapore Polytechnic (SP), was originally interested in gaming.
He later developed an interest in Networks and IT Security, and
spurred by a desire to learn more about this field, the avid gaming
enthusiast applied for the Integrated Infocomm Scholarship (IIS).
It is a unique scholarship programme open to outstanding O-level
students by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
(IDA) where candidates pursue polytechnic-cum-university stud-
Mr Chi says that the IIS offers
the advantage of more handson
training at the diploma
level followed by a stronger
theoretical balance at the
degree level. PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
ies in digital media and infocomm-related courses.
“I chose this route as it would allow me to focus on IT. The IIS
also offers the advantage of providing more hands-on training at
the diploma level followed by a stronger theoretical balance at the
degree level. It’s an attractive combination,” says Mr Chi.
To gain hands-on experience in Networks and IT Security, he
participated in competitions such as Syscan10 Capture-The-Flag
and Air-Raid3. He has also done community service, helping senior citizens pick up some basic IT skills on IDA’s Silver Infocomm
Day.
During an internship in Los Angeles in the United States last
year, Mr Chi took time out to spend three days at DefCon, a USbased conference specialising in IT security in Las Vegas to pick
up some tips from the industry thought leaders presenting at the
conference.
Mr Chi has also taken up specific certifications on his own
outside of SP’s curriculum, such as the Comp-Tia Security+, ECCouncil’s Certified Ethical Hacker and Red Hat’s Certified System
Administrator.
To the 19-year-old, being awarded a scholarship means having
an additional set of responsibilities and the challenge to constantly do well in his studies.
“There is also the need to keep track of cutting-edge technology and industry trends, otherwise it might create a poor impression of IIS scholars when attending industry seminars and workshops,” he says.
To help their IIS scholars build professional networks and
learn about the latest trends and technologies, IDA conducts
workshops and teambuilding events, as well as opportunities to
attend infocomm-related events.
Mr Chi’s advice to potential IIS scholarship applicants is to
question their passion for IT honestly. If they are indeed passionate about IT (including gaming) and curious about how an IT
product, such as a particular game or applications software,
works or can work better, they would be well-suited to consider
pursuing an IT-related career.
“I would say that there is no better option than being paid to
study and work in an industry one is passionate about!” he adds.
SP students clinched
lion’s share of
infocomm scholarship
Mr Tan Yew Meng
(left), Director of
School of Communication, Arts and Social
Sciences, receiving the
scholarship fund from
Mr Ian Batey.
$250,000 scholarship from
Ian Batey for DMC students
Singapore Polytechnic students from the School of Digital Media
and Infocomm Technology once again clinched the lion’s share (15
out of 40) of the Integrated Infocomm Scholarship offered by the
Infocomm Development Authority to polytechnic students. Under
the Scholarship, they will pursue a polytechnic to university path,
paving the way for them to pursue a career in the digital media or
infocomm-related industry.
Ian Batey, the creative honcho behind Singapore brands like Singapore
Airlines and Raffles Hotel has started a $250,000 scholarship fund for
SP students, with a matching grant from the Ministry of Education. Called
the Batey Scholar Award, it will be awarded to deserving students from
the Diploma in Media and Communication (DMC), the future
branding and marketing experts. Said Mr Batey, “We -- that’s all the old
Batey team – are delighted to make this contribution. It’s an expression
of our deep appreciation for the extraordinary opportunities given to us
over three decades by Singapore Inc. And we have a dream that sees
Singapore as the most exciting creative centre in Asia-Pacific for creating
and developing global power brands, and for creating outstanding global
advertising campaigns. We hope the Batey Scholar Award programme
will help attract more talented young people to a career in marketing
communication, and that Batey Scholars, together with their colleagues,
will grow our dream into a dazzling long-term reality.”
DMC offers the most broad-based and comprehensive education in
communication amongst the polytechnics. SP students learn how the
various media platforms and the different communication disciplines
work together to effectively and consistently deliver the right messages
to the right people. They design campaigns for real clients in an authentic
learning space at The Agency, a living laboratory which functions as a
real integrated marketing communication agency. The Batey Scholar
Award will cover three years of tuition fees as well as participation in
overseas internship and study programmes.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
34
In Demand
THE BUSINESS TIMES | 23 APRIL 2012
SMA CELEBRATES 55 YEARS IN
MARITIME EDUCATION & TRAINING
Staying focused
and current
SMA of S’pore Polytechnic keeps up with the latest
technology while it trains manpower for the maritime
industry. By VINCENT WEE
ON its 55th anniversary, the way
forward for Singapore Maritime
Academy (SMA) of Singapore
Polytechnic is to keep up with the
latest technological developments
while not forgetting its basic mission to train manpower for the
maritime industry.
Major steps have been taken in
the drive towards e-learning and
SMA is preparing to move further
up the value chain into research
and development (R&D) with several collaborative agreements being signed.
For example, in R&D through
MI@SP, a research body set up
with the SMI (Singapore Maritime
Institute), SMA’s strength in simulation is being further reinforced.
To prepare for SMA’s upstream
move into R&D, its state-of-the-art
simulation facilities are being further boosted with a collaborative
arrangement with Force Technology under which both parties can
tap on each other’s resources with
the setting up of Simulation@
SMARTFORCE within the SMA
Simulation Complex.
“Moving forward, with its recent involvement in R&D, SMA
hopes to pioneer breakthrough
research projects to elevate its role
from a training provider to an innovation centre for the maritime
industry,” says SMA director Roland Tan.
However SMA has not forgotten its primary role. “As Singapore’s premier Maritime Education
and Training (MET) academy, our
mission continues to be preparing
young talent to be Work-Ready,
Life-Ready and World-Ready,” Mr
Tan adds.
Established in 1957, SMA
started with the underlying objective of producing seagoing officers
who can operate ships in a competent and safe manner, and who will
also acquire the necessary experience and communication skills to
become captains in the maritime
industry.
Soon after, training of marine
engineers started, and over time
thescope of training has evolved to
include maritime business aspects.
Today, SMA remains at the
forefront in MET, offering diploma
courses in Marine Engineering,
Maritime Business and Nautical
Studies as well as a comprehensive
range of professional maritime
courses.
Relevant courses
It has 1,000 full-time students in
its three diploma programmes and
some 400 post-diploma students
attend the semester-long upgrading Certificate of Competency
(CoC) courses, which prepare
candidates to qualify as seafaring
officers up to the captain and chief
engineer levels.
Mr Tan points out that SMA
has been quick to gather its resources to provide relevant courses
in demand by the industry.
For example, a joint collaboration with SMTC Global resulted
in the setting up of the SMA and
SMTC Global Safety Training
Centre (SSSTC) at the Poly Marina to offer safety courses for the
offshore industry. “SMA continues
to keep its courses up-to-date and
relevant to industry needs by constant dialogue with industry partners,” he says.
Looking to the future however, SMA has moved to provide
for the global shipping industry’s
increasing dependence on the Internet generation for its manpower
needs, Mr Tan says.
Courses have been updated
through the development of elearning materials for students for
certificates of competency such as
its E-CoC 3 and E-CoC 5 for example. “Successful completion of
these e-learning materials will re-
Lifeboat training at Poly Marina: Mr Tan (left) says SMA keeps its courses up-todate and relevant to industry needs by constant dialogue with industry partners
sult in less on-campus time and expense for students,” Mr Tan notes.
Meanwhile full-time diploma
students are benefiting from the
staff ’s constant fervour in enhancing classroom teaching through
blended learning by creating innovative software packages. SMA
currently has about40 titles in its
collection created through consultancy work for industry partners
or out of their own passion.
The full e-learning content of
the CoC courses are also brought
into the full-time programmes.
“As SMA moves forward, it
strongly encourages staff to pioneer new ways of teaching such
as creating mobile applications
for iPads and e-books. This is in
line with Singapore Polytechnic’s
vision of being a mobile campus,”
says Mr Tan.
As Singapore develops as an international maritime centre (IMC)
Mr Tan sees a growing scope for
MET in the republic. He sees more
opportunities in the area of offshore marine training, which is a
new growth area.
Other areas for development
include in the area of continuing
mandatory courses for seafarers.
Mr Tan points out that with the
implementation of the new STCW
2010 Manila
Amendment coming into
force, training institutions such as
SMA have to respond accordingly.
The International Convention on
Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) governs the mandatory requirements for training for
all seafarers.
SMA is also doing its best to
meet the higher expectations of its
students, with most wanting to go
on to higher qualifications now. Like other polytechnics, SP is
also trying to fulfil diploma graduates’ aspirations for higher learning, and is looking for various ways
to value add to its courses.
Several of their diploma courses now offer a “top-up” where good
graduates will be able to shorten
their study in selected degree
courses
locally and abroad through advanced standing arrangements
with universities.
In SP, more than 70 per cent of
graduates move on to get a degree
within five years of their graduation.
“SMA offers such opportunities to our graduates to further
their studies to degree level in various universities locally and overseas,” says Mr Tan.
These include Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz MIWB in the
Netherlands, Korea’s Chung Ang
University, The State University of
New York, Plymouth University
and Newcastle University, Australian Maritime College at Tasmania
University and Nanyang Technological University.
Mr Tan adds that SMA is also
constantly looking out for such
partnerships with other reputed
Institutes of Higher Learning
(IHLs) to provide more opportunities for its graduates to upgrade
themselves.
SMA is also making inroads
into the R&D sphere of the maritime industry.
It is going up the value chain by
partnering with Force Technology
to embark on maritime research
projects. To be launched today,
Simulation@SMARTFORCE,
a
new set-up located at the Integrated Simulation Centre (ISC) at
SP campus, will be dedicated to
simulation-based research for the
maritime industry.
Going further into R&D, SMA
is supporting MI@SP, one of the
four set-ups within IHLs under
the Singapore Maritime Institute
(SMI). The Singapore Maritime
Institute is a joint effort by the
Maritime and Port Authority of
Singapore (MPA), the Agency for
Science, Technology and
Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Economic Development
Board (EDB).
Established in January 2011,
the mission of the SMI is to make
a difference through world-class
R&D, training and education and
thought leadership in policy formulation for the maritime industry.
SMA sees itself as playing a
key role in supporting Singapore’s
development as an IMC. “Building
on its well established reputation
as a provider
of competent seafarers to the global fleet and to the global maritime
hub in Singapore, SMA has always
supported the government’s initiatives in the maritime industry,”
says Mr Tan.
For example, SMA supports
Singapore’s efforts in boosting
MET as the training partner for
the new Certificate of Competency
(Special Limits)
programme launched by the MPA,
and has been appointed as the officialtraining partner for this programme.
The new programme was
launched last year, in collaboration
with the National Trades Union
Congress’ (NTUC) Employment
and Employability Institute (e2i)
and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).
With this programme, aspiring
seafarers can now look forward to
a new opportunity to up-skill in
areas such as navigation, operation
of bunker tankers, and passenger
vessels.
They can look forward to serve
onboard ships operating up to the
“Special Limits” of Singapore port.
As the ships ply near Singapore,
seafarers can minimise having to
engage in long international voyages, thereby reducing the time
spent apart from their families.
Mr Tan says response from the
industry has been encouraging,
and a similar programme for engineers is in the pipeline.
Besides merely providing
training, SMA also takes on the
responsibility of supplying a qualified future workforce for the industry by doing its part to make a
maritime career an attractive one
to young people.
“Through rigorous outreach
and marketing efforts, SMA constantly tries to entice bright students from secondary schools to
enter our courses,”
says Mr Tan.
These efforts have borne fruit,
he adds. Students who are academically strong are now choosing to start their training and careers with SMA to eventually enter
Singapore’s maritime industry as
highly qualified professionals.
Also, through the sponsoring
of the MaritimeONE Scholarships,
a scheme administered by the
Singapore Maritime Foundation,
SMA has made significant efforts
to attract more high calibre students to join the maritime industry.
SMA has come a long way from
its origins 55 years ago when in its
earlier incarnations it focused on
the training of mariners for a career at sea.
The scope of its courses now
encompasses a wide range of sectors within the maritime industry
and its training efforts are fully in
support of Singapore’s aims of becoming an international maritime
centre. SMA graduates now are
able to fill roles in the services sector as well as help fulfil manpower
needs onboard ships.
In addition, looking to the future, SMA is taking full advantage
of the R&D and new technology
options available as it prepares for
the challenges ahead.
THE BUSINESS TIMES | 23 APRIL 2012
SMA woos
youth to join
industry
It offers scholarships, learning camps and immersion
programmesto bring the world into the classroom.
By VINCENT WEE
Overseas training programme: SMA sends a delegation of its students to sail on
board the sail training ship Pallada which belongs to the Far Eastern State Technical
Fisheries University in Vladivostok, Russia. The primary aim is for them to interact with
their Russian counterparts and to experience shipboard training on a tallship
WHILE a maritime career is being seen as an increasingly attractiveproposition, Singapore
Maritime Academy and others
within the maritime industry
still put in a lot of effort to attract
young people.
There
are
scholarship
schemes available such as the
Tripartite Maritime Scholarship
Scheme (TMSS) and SAIL (Seafaring Alternative – An Investment for Life) schemes for people
interested in a seafaring career.
They are for students who want
to join the diploma in nautical
studies or diploma in marine engineering courses at SMA.
There are also MaritimeONE
scholarships given out by the
Singapore Maritime Foundation
to encourage new blood to join
the maritime industry.
The funds for this come from
sponsoring companies such as
The Lloyd’s Register Educational
Trust, SMA, Neptune Orient
Lines and K Line.
Last year, a record 34 scholarships worth about $1 million
were given out.
SMA also tries to provide its
students with a more international outlook. They are given
various opportunities to go overseas through Overseas Internship
Training Programmes, Overseas
Immersion Programmes, Overseas Community Involvement
Programmes and Student Exchange Programmes.
Through these programmes
SMA students are exposed to the
different cultures and work ethics
which would make them more
prepared for the global maritime
industry.
For example, SMA organises
the Maritime Experiential Learning (MEL) Camp every year, and
this year it has successfully completed its 18th run.
This year’s camp involved a
group of 57 SMA students, along
with 19 students from Japan (as
part of SMA’s exchange programme with Oshima Maritime
College), three students from
Ngee Ann Polytechnic and four
students from NTU.
The camp is normally conducted on board the SuperStar
Virgo as it plies the 4D3N Singapore-Penang-Phuket-Singapore
route. The programme provides
students with an excellent exposure to maritime activities in a
very conducive learning environment.
Among their experiences are
seeing firsthand how ships navigate through the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest
waterways. They are also exposed
to a marine engineering environment, where key aspects such as
onboard waste management and
desalination are explained.
The MEL camp helps to
bridge theoretical lessons learnt
ashore with dynamic learning
supported with real-life exposure
to a shipboard environment.
Further, it also helps to inculcate a global outlook in students by exposing them to an
international setting, including
participation in the programme
by students from other overseas
educational institutions.
Finally, the diverse workshops conducted on board would
enable the students to succeed in
life, work and in the world.
Over the duration of the
camp, students are provided an
exclusive tour of the vessel’s facilities, namely, the navigation
bridge, the machinery space and
engine room and the ship’s galley.
The ship’s safety manager
makes time to take students’
questions on the safety, security
and commercial management of
the vessel.
Industry experts are invited
to deliver workshops, touching
on issues ranging from etiquette
to innovative problem solving
and leadership.
Lastly, group bonding activities provide a platform for bonding and creative presentations
contributing to a holistic learning
experience.
Students from Japan, Korea,
the Netherlands, China, India,
and Malaysia have attended the
previous camps, in addition to
SMA students.
Overseas participants come
from SMA’s partner educational
institutions, and add a global flavour to this unique programme
literally “bringing the world into
the classroom”.
This interaction between students from different cultures provides for a learning experience of
a different kind.
Yet another attractive overseas training programme is that
onboard the Russian tallship SS
Pallada. Last year the trip saw 35
students sailing from Singapore
to Ho Chi Minh City.
The vessel belongs to the Far
Eastern State Technical Fisheries
University (Festfu) in Vladivostok, Russia. She calls at Singapore as part of her round-theworld voyage.
SMA and Festfu have signed
a cooperation MOU and part of
the deal is to allow SMA to send
a delegation to sail on board this
unique vessel. The primary aim
is for them to interact with their
Russian counterparts and to experience shipboard training on a
tallship.
The shipboard training provides a unique and challenging
experience onboard a tallship.
This is a rarity and exposes students to the use of sails and the
wind in ocean navigation.
It also promotes cross-cultural cohesion and networking at an
international level.
Among the talks and activities onboard were: environmental management, shipboard operations, navigational safety, self
responsibility and group bonding.
Students were shown how
the vessel’s desalination plant,
garbage disposal and waste treatment, sewage plant work, while
in the shipboard operations component, elements such as shiphusbandry, commercial catering
and security were shown.
The trip left a deep impression on the students. “Who knew
that the decision I had made was
the best thing that happened
throughout my Polytechnic life.
I never regretted going onboard
Pallada,” says Mark Koh. “New
friendships were forged both
with the Russians and as well as
the other 34 students from SMA,”
he adds.
“I came out of this trip a
better leader and with a deeper
understanding for others,” says
Zachary Loh.
1/7/13 11:13 AM
Harnessing Technology
35
THE NEW PAPER | 6 NOVEMBER 2012
Poly adopts new technology
for communication
Staff
Contactable
anytime,
anywhere
F
IXED-LINE phones will be phased out
at Singapore Polytechnic (SP).
From next year, SP will integrate its e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging and video conferencing with its phone system.
This allows staff members to take a phone call on their mobile
phones, or through their desktop computers or laptops using a
bluetooth device, or as aninstant message.
An SP spokesman toldTheNewPaper that this technology will
“enhance staff productivity” as work can be carried out any time,
anywhere.
The polytechnic is the first institute of higher learning in
South-east Asia to adopt Microsoft Unified Communications
(UC), its technological partners HP and Microsoft said. SP declined to sayhowmuchthe system costs.
Students will also benefit from the system as they will be able
to access their lectures through their laptops or tablets at any location.
This will make collaboration among students from different
schools within SP easier.
For example, students taking thecommon Year 2 Social Innovation Projects module next year will use UC to communicate
and collaborate on projects in real time even though they might
be in different physical locations.
SP’s principal, Mr Tan Hang Cheong, said: “Students out on
a field survey can connect with their lecturers and classmates in
PICTURE: SP News
different locations, getting instant feedback through calls, text or
video conferencing, all ona single platform.”
Agreeing, lecturer Mark Singh said he can keep in touch with
students who are on internships or are overseas for competitions,
letting him monitor their progress and offer advice.
He added that in the event of a campus emergency or closure,
or if a classroom is not available, the UC “can provide an alternative by allowing me to conduct my lecture online”.
Students can ask questions onUCwithout waiting for the next
class, said senior lecturer LohChungChiang.
“This allows for instant feedback. I can also share my annotations and power points slides to provide customised feedback
according to the students’ needs and queries,” he said.
SP students welcomed the convenience the technologywould
bring.
“It would save time switching between platforms,” said
18-year-old media student Ng Ching Peng. “For example, if I’m
on the phone, but the information I want is stored on my MacBook, having a unified platform makesit faster to access information.”
It will also mean that students and lecturers will not have to
create a “secondary Facebook account to conduct schoolwork”,
said design student Ian Aarron Chia.
Personal versus work
“I know of lecturers and friends who do that to keep their personal life separate from workor school.
“With this platform, they won’t need to,” said the 24-year-old.
But media student Debra Lee, 19, felt that face-to-face communication was still important and did not like the idea of all
communication being reduced to “talking to a screen”.
With staff and students communicable at all times and location, where does that leave work-life balance?
The GMP Group’s corporate services assistant director Josh
Goh said that having clear guidelines will help employees to better managetheirwork and personal time.
“It would reassure employees that they would not be penalised unfairly. This also shows the management’s commitment to
help their employees better manage their work-life integration,”
he said.
SP’s spokesman said there were controls, such as changing the
availability settings from Present to Not Available and setting office calls to ring only during office hours.
He said: “SP does not mandatethat its staff must read e-mails
after office hours.
“But if you’re rostered to work a certain shift, you’re expected
to answer the calls during that time.”
1/7/13 11:13 AM
36
Taking the Lead
THE STRAITS TIMES |
6 OCTOBER 2012
THE STRAITS TIMES |
31 MARCH 2012
EDB
veteran
is new
poly head
Three outstanding SP graduates were awarded
the LKY-STEP Awards for Polytechnic Graduates.
They are Desmond Thiam and Koh Shi Min, who
are now pursuing their medical degrees at the
National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin
School of Medicine; and Tan Keng Hwee who
is doing his degree in Engineering at Nanyang
Technological University.
The trio were selected based on their outstanding
academic results, excellent CCA Activities records
and strong leadership qualities and potential. The
award comes with a $3,500 one-time cash award
and waiver of tuition fees.
Singapore Poly
to train KL
varsity staff
Workshops aim to make
study of engineering more
hands-on
Singapore Polytechnic principal Tan Hang Cheong (left) and UTM ViceChancellor Zaini Ujang exchanging memorandums of understanding after
the signing ceremony yesterday. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC
1/7/13 11:13 AM

INSIDE With SP, it`s So Possible

Transcription

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