stafflink sep 2012 4.indd

Nanyang Polytechnic Staff Newsletter
For Internal Circulation Only
December 2012 Issue
Happy 20th Year, NYP!
A memorable moment: the cutting of the NYP cake. (From left): Mr Chan Lee Mun, Principal & CEO, Mrs Tan Ching Yee, then Permanent
Secretary (Education), Mr Tan Pheng Hock, Chairman of NYP’s Board Of Governors (BOG), Mr Lawrence Wong, then Minister of State,
Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Education, Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, Mr Tan Tong Hai, Deputy Chairman of NYP’s BOG and
Mr Lin Cheng Ton, CEO, NYPi.
W
e have turned 20! It was a night of special
significance for past and present NYP staff,
alumni and industry guests as we celebrated NYP’s 20th
Anniversary on 30 March 2012 at Resorts World Sentosa.
This important occasion saw some 1,600 guests coming
together to celebrate the birthday bash.
In his speech at the celebrations, Guest-of-Honour Mr Heng
Swee Keat, Minister for Education, pointed out that NYP’s
success today “would not have been possible without its
visionary leaders, and committed staff.” He thanked NYP’s
leaders and members of its Board of Governors for their
leadership and commitment.
He further paid tribute to NYP staff. He said, “I also want
to commend the staff of NYP, for your determination in
delivering the best education to students who come
through NYP. You have made significant impact on the
lives of your students.”
The highlights of the evening included a video screening
of NYP’s key milestones over 20 years, song performances
by our staff, students and alumni, as well as the singing of
a ‘happy birthday, NYP!’ song, with a big birthday cake
and individual cakes on all tables.
Education Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat graced this important
occasion as NYP’s Guest-of-Honour.
The 20th Anniversary dinner concludes a year-long of
celebration activities for NYP for its 20th year. StaffLink
02 NYP 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Celebrating a Memorable 20 Years
I
received numerous accolades and praises from industry
guests, partners, alumni members and staff.
NYP’s dinner celebrations at Resort World Sentosa
StaffLink brings you some the highlights of the evening.
t was a good time catching up with friends, old and
new, as we celebrated a historic 20 years for NYP!
We were the pioneers! Some
members of NYP’s pioneering
team caught up with one another
for this memorable photo.
NYP’s industry partners were honoured
with
the Outstanding Industry Partner Awards.
Receiving the award on behalf of SingH
ealth
is Prof Ivy Ng, Group Chief Executive Offic
er of
SingHealth.
A chance to catch up
with friends, old and ne
w.
album!
One more for the
A close up of what the 20th
Anniversary cake looks like. Yum!
with
elegance of the occasion
Our students added to the
.
ent
pre-dinner entertainm
Altogether now! Individual tables cutting their NYP cakes.
Continued on page 03
03 NYP 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Looking Back with Pride, Celebrating
the Present
Two videos were screened during the course of the
evening. The first video brought back feelings of nostalgia
and a sense of pride, as we traced NYP’s history from its
humble beginnings in 1992 through some of its key events
and achievements over the years.
The second video was a more light-hearted one which
depicted NYP staff celebrating the Anniversary in a fun
fashion. We never knew our colleagues could be so zany
and spontaneous!
To read more about
the team who did
the videos, check
out page 4. StaffLink
04 NYP 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
NYP 20th Anniversary Dinner: Behind the Scenes
A
s early as November 2010, members of the 20th
Anniversary Dinner Organising Committee, chaired by
Penny Goh, Joint Director/HR, had already commenced
meetings with her team comprising members - John Tan,
Anthony Woon, Daniel Tan, Dennis Ang, Judy Tan, Bryan
Chua, Ng Ek Koon, Chai Kuek Heng, Quek Chin Joo,
Liang Hwee Ming, Serene Long - to plan for NYP’s 20th
Anniversary Dinner.
Entertainment
Providing entertainment for 1,600 staff and guests was
not easy. But SHS deputy director Bryan Chua, the main
emcee, SBM lecturer Fion Ngiam, and Student Affairs’
management support officer Rene Tan managed to work
closely with an events management company to execute
the theme “Past, Present, and the Future” with aplomb.
In this issue, we would like to show the work that went on
behind the scenes, and thank all the teams who ensured
everything went smoothly on 30th March 2012! Many
accolades and compliments were received from staff,
industry guests, board members and alumni of NYP for
the well-organised event. It was indeed a stellar evening
of joyful celebrations, where staff and guests mingled in
a relaxed atmosphere, enjoying the time they had to
reconnect and interact with one another.
Design and Multimedia
Dinner hosts Fion Ngiam (left) and Bryan Chua.
The team started planning in April 2011. Rene sourced for
student singers and dancers, handled the costumes and
scheduling, and also worked with a singing instructor, and
choreographer. The trio also had many meetings to finetune the performance items.
Songs such as Black or White by Michael Jackson, Bring It
All Back by S Club 7, The Climb by Miley Cyrus, I Believe by
Nikki Yanofsky, and I Had the Time of My Life by Bill Medley &
Jennifer Warnes were selected after much consideration.
(Back row, from left) The SIDM team Amy Soon, Ng Kun Yu, Voong
Yu Shan, Daniel Tan, Ng How Seng, David Hwee; (Front row, from
left) Han Ming, Lim Sze Yang, and Chia Choon Lam.
A team of SIDM staff has been working hard since 2010
to design the 20th Anniversary logo, invitation cards, and
plaques for industry guests. They also created two threeminute video clips for the dinner – a fun clip featuring NYP
staff, and an official 20th Anniversary video clip – from
scratch.
“That was a time where I met different NYP staff and got to
know them better,” said Amy Soon, SIDM manager. “I was
glad that they were quite enthusiastic about helping out. It
was really borderless, everybody spent a lot of time just to
find the pictures and information. I was really touched.”
“The iconic songs of the 90s are very energetic and
youthful, and represent our early years,” said Bryan. “The
other songs reflect the road that we have taken, and the
challenges we have faced and overcome over the past
20 years.”
“Considering all the challenges and last minute changes,
I think the celebrations
turned out pretty well,” he
said. “There was a relaxed
atmosphere, and it was
nice to see many guests and
colleagues around tables
catching up with industry
partners and friends. I even
Putting on makehad time to eat.” StaffLink
up befo
performance.
re the
Logistics
PGA and HR staff had to prepare all the invitation cards (all 1,600
of them), door gifts, plaques, placards for industry guests, manage
quotation exercises, and also cope with changes in the seating
plan. A big thank you to all of them!
t time at the dinner!
NYP student performers also had a grea
05 NYP 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Twenty Years in Print: My Life, My Journey, My NYP!
M
any staff enthusiastically submitted photos during
the 20th anniversary photo contest held from July to
December 2011; some even painstakingly brought down
films and analogue photography prints that were taken
a long time ago. More than 300 photos were received
in total, capturing memories of NYP staff, students and
alumni.
Lim Ai Huey (Consolation Prize)
The contest was based on the theme “My Life, My
Journey, My NYP”. A total of four top awards and
18 consolation prizes were given out to 11 students/
alumni and 11 staff. The photos were judged based on
adherence to theme, visual/artistic appeal, creativity
and significance.
These are some photos from our staff winners. The photos
hold fond memories for them, and they tell us why:
Xu Jialu (2nd Prize)
Ai Huey met her husband in NYP when they were studying
for their Diploma in Engineering Infomatics. Three years
after graduation (2001), Ai Huey joined NYP as a lecturer.
As NYP holds many memories for her, she and her husband
took some of their wedding photos around NYP when they
got married in 2008.
Fong Siew Cheong (Consolation Prize)
Jialu, who won the second prize, created this photo out
of a series of images to create a High Dynamic Range
(HDR) effect. The palm trees and water features create
a relaxing atmosphere for him, which he likens to a mini
oasis.
This photo, taken in 1982, may ring a bell with our
colleagues who were previously from the FrenchSingapore-Institute (FSI). During that period, experts
from France were sent to Singapore to help set up
course curricula. Similarly, our staff were sent to France
for training. In this photo, our colleagues from Singapore
took a short break to relax at the famous Notre Dame
in Paris. Do you recognise them? They include Lee Teck
Heng (first from left), Loh Mun Leong (second from left),
and Fong Siew Cheong (middle). StaffLink
06 NYP 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Staff Conference 2012: U R the STAR!
S
taff Conference 2012 was a marked departure from
the conferences of previous years. Staff Conference
2012 saw various departments getting together to put
up a show which highlighted six key areas: Teaching
& Learning, Lifelong Learning, Innovation & Enterprise,
Organisational Development and Corporate Services.
Each department/School was also presented with
appreciation awards, and everyone was clued in on
NYP’s recent achievements and future plans by PCEO
Mr Chan Lee Mun.
The conference ended on a high note, with the newly
formed NYP choir belting out inspiring NYP-themed
songs. It was certainly a staff conference like no
other!
StaffLink spoke to Cher Thon Jiang, Director (OIS)
& Director (Projects), and Chairperson of the Staff
Conference 2012 committee to find out how this
unforgettable show was put together.
How did the idea of having a uniquely different staff
conference come about?
It was in September 2011 when PCEO provided us a brief for
Staff Conference 2012. His brief was succinct – “plan Staff
Conference 2012 as a lead-in to our 20th anniversary dinner
and focus on recognition of our staff’s contribution towards
NYP’s achievement and milestones. The mood for the
occasion is to be light-hearted and joyous.” It was a simple
brief but a tall order indeed.
Our planning team (Daniel Liu, Gwendoline Tan and I)
decided that the format of Staff Conference 2012 could be
similar to an “Oscar Awards” style corporate briefing held in
November 1998. It would incorporate some of the creative
elements of the 1998 staff conference, but with new ideas.
Hence the new theme, “U R The STAR” was born - the STAR
acronym meaning STaff Achievement & Recognition.
I was also glad that PCEO allowed us to incorporate some
free-spirited ideas (within the appropriate OB markers).
NYP got talent! Some of the highlights of Staff Conference 2012.
Continued on page 07
07 NYP 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
The NYP Family!
What were some of your considerations while
planning Staff Conference 2012?
Since this was basically a conference for staff, who
else should be the key stakeholders but our very own
colleagues? We therefore decided that this special staff
conference should be “For Staff, By Staff.”
Thanks to the strong support and spirit of teamwork
from all the Schools and Corporate Departments, we
were able to form various sub-committees comprising
members from all categories and levels of staff. All of
them unanimously supported the planning team’s
proposal.
The result of this was tremendous energy. It translated
into “meaningful but laugh till you cry” presentations/
skits and hauntingly beautiful songs sung by our staff
choir. PCEO provided the ultimate icing with his sharing
of plans for NYP and his heart-warming encouragement
to all staff.
A surprising outcome was the revelation of numerous and
previously undiscovered staff talents who could have
given our local MediaCorp artistes a run for their money.
What were some of the challenges of organising
the Conference?
One challenge was how to showcase our numerous
achievements. With innovativeness and ingenuity,
our colleagues weaved storylines using NYP’s culture,
concepts, capabilities and connections into easy to
understand, highly entertaining presentations and skits.
The planning for the Conference also coincided with
year-end holidays, Open House events and examinations.
During this busy period, our colleagues managed to fit in
the planning and rehearsals and pulled it off with singleminded commitment!
What has the response to the Conference been like?
The finale of the Staff Conference was electrifying. Staff
were enveloped in a sea of multi-coloured blinking starwands, and sang songs in unison. All our colleagues
must have felt the exuberance and energy behind this
Conference. Many agreed that Staff Conference 2012
gave them a better understanding of our colleagues’
contribution to NYP’s programmes, progress and
achievements. StaffLink
We Have What It Takes
To capture the significance of the 20th Anniversary
of Nanyang Polytechnic, a special commemorative
book was put together to showcase the spirit and
achievements of NYP.
“From moulding and nurturing our students to
developing our staff, from working with industry to
innovating and internationalising, this easy-to-read,
informative 120-page book has been meticulously
produced by our colleagues, for our colleagues, to
show that we truly have What It Takes to make NYP
what it is today,” said Penny Goh, Chairperson of the
Editorial Committee. Members of the editorial team
include Edward Ho, Lim Sew Hua, Lee Youn Kay,
Foong Tze Foon, Ooi Inn
Bok and Jayanthi Gopal.
According to PCEO
Chan Lee Mun, the
book is “colourful and
artistically done” and
takes on a fresh
approach.
We certainly agree.
It is definitely a book
everyone can be
proud of.
08 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Success for 38 staff in NYP’s Diploma in
Business & Admin Part-time Day Release Programme
38 NYP staff were happy to be the first batch to receive their Diploma in Business & Administration under NYP’s Day Release Programme.
O
ver the last three years, they took up lessons three
days a week. Like all NYP students, they had
projects, tests and presentations. They did all these
while juggling work duties and family commitments.
It was a memorable graduation day for 38 of our
colleagues who completed the Diploma in Business &
Administration course. They were the pioneer batch
of students who took the course under NYP’s part-time
Day Release Programme.
The graduates received warm applause when they
received their diplomas on stage on 21 May 2012.
The Day Release Programme is part of NYP’s Capability
Development scheme for its staff. Under the Career
Unlimited concept, staff in NYP are presented with
multiple pathways to develop and keep updated with
new knowledge and experiences.
with her son, who is enrolled in the Bachelor in Business
Management programme with the Singapore Institute of
Management.
Recalled Serina, “My son started his studies around the
same time as me, so we could often study together. It
was useful as he helped me to revise my work by going
through the key points with me.”
Serina is thankful for her strong family support – from
her son, two daughters and husband. She is also very
grateful to her NYP lecturers who have been “friendly,
understanding and most helpful” throughout the course.
Mariam Jaffar, Finance Department
Here are some of our recently graduated colleagues:
Serina Ong, School of
Business Management
Studying for Serina Ong (above) means bonding time
For Mariam Jaffar (above, second from left), stepping into
the classroom after 30 years was daunting at first. She was
from the Malay stream, and was worried that she could
Continued on page 09
09 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
not cope with English lectures. “However, I had very
good classmates. We studied together, with the
help and support of our lecturers,” she said.
Everything went smoothly for Mariam until last April
when she fell and injured her right ankle, resulting
in an operation and two weeks of hospitalisation
leave. “But at that point, the thought of giving up
my lessons never crossed my mind,” said Mariam,
who was just two semesters away from graduating.
With the help of her husband and colleagues, she
continued to attend classes in a wheelchair.
NYP Bags Five Gold and
Two Silver Awards at the
Team Excellence Symposium
T
his year’s Team Excellence Symposium saw seven NYP
teams win five Gold and two Silver Awards, with CNC’s
“BrainPower” garnering an overall third place among the
97 teams that participated.
BrainPower (below), which was founded in 1997, also
represented NYP at the International Convention on Quality
Control Circles held in Kuala Lumpur this October. The team
won a 3-Star award for its project that ensures the timely
performance of Windows Account Administration tasks.
She was glad she had persevered on, and has since
happily graduated with the rest of her cohort!
Serene Long, Human Resource
Department
Juggling a full-time job, studies, household
chores and taking care of two young children...
Serene Long (below, extreme left) from Human
Resource Department really had her hands full!
Ng Li Sui, BrainPower’s Team Leader, said that the project
came about because the team saw an opportunity
to improve productivity and increase security by
automating the management of work done by Windows
Administrators.
Li Sui added that the team was pleasantly surprised by the
win in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
The new system is able to complete mundane tasks
normally done manually by Windows Administrators. This
includes the granting and removal of Administration Rights
and the creation and deletion of Windows Accounts. This
solution will save NYP $11,120 annually and by developing
the solution in-house, an estimated $33,000 in development
costs was saved.
Their highly accurate solution also boasts “100% on-time
performance of Windows Administration tasks” and “100%
compliance with security and audit requirements.”
For Serene, who has a son in Primary 5 and a
daughter in Primary 1, coping with family matters
and studies needed very good time management
skills. She remembered the days when she did her
projects till 2 am, because by the time she had put
the children to bed, it would be past 11 pm.
She is grateful to her bosses for their understanding
and the patience of her lecturers to help her to
cope with the challenges of studies and family life.
Said Serene, “I was really happy to be able to
complete the course and get a diploma. I hope
this will be encouragement for my son and motivate
him to overcome any hurdles he may face in his
studies.” StaffLink
In addition, a spin-off of this project was developed for the
Library. It has allowed over 18,000 members to login to the
Library’s PCs to access library resources and achieved an
initial cost savings of $139,400 and subsequent annual cost
savings of $106,400.
This brings NYP’s tally over the years to 4 Star Awards, 40
Gold Awards and 11 Silver Awards. Congratulations to all NYP
innovators! StaffLink
Team Name
BrainPower
ANTZ7
SIMS PLE
Evergreen
Under One Roof
Simply Creative Lah !
In-Tune
School/Department
CNC
SHS(N)
SBM
EM
SEG
SCL
LIB
Award
Gold
Gold
Gold
Gold
Gold
Silver
Silver
10 WHP INITIATIVES
Staying Healthy, Having Fun
Here are the recent highlights from some of our key Workplace Health Programmes.
Campus Road Run 2012
Synergy 2012
It was a sweltering day on 16 May 2012, but the hot
weather did not deter many enthusiastic runners – staff,
students and alumni – from turning up for the annual
Campus Road Run held at NYP sports stadium from 4
to 6pm.
The day of the campus run was also the day before
the school track was closed for its four-month
renovation. So it was heart-warming to see many
students and cheerleaders showing up to cheer all the
participants.
Said Ng Ek Koon, Director/Purchasing & General
Administration, who finished 4th in the 4km run, “I’ve been
participating in events such as ITIS (Inter-Tertiary Institute
Staff) runs, Campus Road Run and Sports for Life in the
recent years, and I find these events fun. It’s something
that I enjoy doing, and it helps me to keep fit too.”
On 14 January morning, eight staff and a number of NYP
students gathered in teams to take part in Synergy 2012NYP Adventure Race, an island-wide adventure race
that involved challenges such as rope ascend, running,
kayaking, biking and abseiling.
The teams encountered many unexpected challenges
and gamely took them on. The event culminated at the
NYP atrium in the afternoon, where participants abseiled
from Block A’s roof to the ground. Most of the teams gave
positive feedback on the race route and welcomed the
challenges.
Said Synergy’s organiser and Student Development
Officer Wilfred Toh, “Next year’s race, on 19th January,
will not be a stroll in the park. The NYP Adventure Club
will be planning yet another challenging route to test
the teams’ limit and patience. We invite more staff to
participate!”
Continued on page 11
11 WHP INITIATIVES
A Splashingly Good Time!
It was a wonderful afternoon of teamwork and camaraderie,
as our staff and students participated in dragon boat races
across the Lower Seletar Reservoir on 11 July 2012.
Paddle@Lower Seletar is a water challenge organised by
NYPSA and Student Affairs. Each team (consisting of 10
paddlers) had to paddle about 150m to 200m across the
reservoir and back. Some 60 NYP staff – with their numerous
supporters – had signed up, including a management-
union team, led by PCEO Chan Lee Mun and DyP/D
Edward Ho.
The champion team came from School of Health
Sciences. In second and third positions were the
combined team from Computer Network Centre
(CNC) and Centre for Technology Innovation &
Commercialisation (CTIC), and the Management-Union
team respectively. Congratulations, everyone!
Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2012
NYP Health Bazaar
NYP sponsored over 100 staff for the Standard Chartered
Marathon Singapore 2012, which took place on 2 December
2012. Organised by the Work Health Promotion (WHP)@NYP
Committee, staff ran in the 10km, half marathon (21.1KM),
and full marathon (42.195KM) categories. Staff enjoyed
the event, which took place at various scenic routes along
southern Singapore, and many emerged proud finishers of
the race.
In May and September, health bazaars were held
at the atrium as part of a WHP@NYP initiative. Staff
who visited the bazaar enjoyed purchasing healthy
snacks like nuts, bread, cookies and honey, as well
as devices like massage chairs, sports gear and
equipment. StaffLink
12 HIGHLIGHTS
Flexi-Work Arrangement Enhanced
N
ow it’s even easier for NYP Staff to balance their work
and personal lives. On 1 April, HR officially formalised
the “Staggered Work Hour” and “Telework” schemes,
further enhancing NYP’s Flexi-Work Arrangement (FWA).
These two new schemes came about because over
the years, NYP noticed the evolving needs of families
with young children and aging parents. In mid 2011,
a taskforce (comprising representatives from various
Schools/Corporate Departments and SIRS) led by HR was
formed to conduct feasibility studies for various types of
Image courtesy of renjith krishnan/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
FWA. This resulted in the implementation of staggered
hours and telework as additional forms of FWA across
NYP.
The Staggered Work Hour scheme allows staff to opt for
the reporting time of either 7.30am, 8.00am or 8.30am.
The stipulated work hours per week would be 42 hours
(excluding 1 hour lunch break) according to prevailing
Civil Service guidelines.
The Telework scheme allows staff to work from home due to
non-routine and exceptional circumstances, for example,
when nursing a minor ailment that might not warrant a
doctor’s consultation or waiting at home for delivery of
goods, etc. Staff on telework must be in Singapore and
remain contactable (by phone or NYP email) during office
hours. They must also have the necessary equipment
needed to work from home, such as internet connection
or telecommunication devices.
Staff may request to telework up to a maximum of five
working days per calendar year, and can apply for the
various FWA schemes via the NYP Info System. StaffLink
New Training Restaurant and Café to Open in 2013
N
YP staff can look forward to more dining options in
the heart of our campus! A new training restaurant
and café will be launched in April 2013. This new venture
will be jointly run by our School of Business Management
(SBM) and School of Chemical & Life Sciences (SCL).
The 120-seat restaurant will include three private rooms
and will be managed by Diploma in Food & Beverage
Business students. Diners will be able to order multi-course
set meals at affordable prices. These courses are currently
being conceptualised by experienced staff - former chefs
Andy Martin Gibb, Nicholas Low and Vangeline Bautista
Artist’s impression
Bar island
Artist’s impression
Buffet island
Josol - who have been training the students to prepare
soups, stocks, sauces, cookies, macaroons and delicious
sounding dishes like cream risotto with parmesan cheese.
The restaurant will be situated at Blk F, Staff Centre, and
will operate at the initial stage during lunch hours on
weekdays. The training café will be replacing the current
Hotshots café at the library, and will also be helmed by
Food & Beverage Business students.
We look forward to your support of these two ventures
when they open in 2013! StaffLink
Artist’s impression
High seats
Artist’s impression
Private room
For updates on the restaurant and cafe, please visit www.facebook.com/NYPRestaurantandCafe
13 STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Re-Igniting His Passion for the Aerospace Industry
Memories of Flight Manoeuvres
Andy stands in front of the Cranfield Airport, which is situated across
from the main lecture and tutorial rooms.
Andy (third from left) at his graduation, with course mates and
lecturer Dr Xiang Zhang (first from left) who specialises in stress
analysis and damage tolerance of composite structures.
A
ndy Chia’s stint at Cransfield University was chock full
of learning experiences and interesting memories. He
started his attachment in October 2010 and graduated
with his Master of Science in Aerospace Vehicle Design in
September 2011.
Andy at Cranfield University
A lecturer from the School of Engineering, Andy has been
with NYP for 12 years before this upgrading opportunity.
He also wanted to immerse himself in an environment
with a long and illustrious history of aerospace research
and education so that he could acquire some of its best
technologies and practices.
As a lecturer-turned-student, he found the role-reversal
refreshing. He also appreciated the challenges faced
by his course lecturers and said the various experiences
helped him grow as a lecturer.
“The teaching style was very similar to NYP’s: face-toface lessons were conducted in classrooms and lecture
theatres, with tutorials and practicals conducted in the
classrooms and labs. Some lecturers had very engaging
styles. They were constantly asking thought-provoking
questions to stimulate the interests of students. This is one
aspect I am hoping to emulate and to incorporate into
my own teaching style,” he said.
One of the most memorable moments was the time he
sat in a Bulldog trainer aircraft, piloted by a 70-plus year
old British pilot, where he experienced different kinds of
flight manoeuvres.
“As the plane made its various turns and rolls in the sky,
the feeling was indescribable! I wore a parachute for
safety but somehow I just didn’t feel all that secure!”
recalled Andy.
At the Aircraft Accident and Investigations lab, with a salvaged
main landing gear.
All in all, Andy found the experience at Cranfield University
enriching and rewarding. Having access to famous
Cranfield aerospace professors was wonderful and it reignited his passion for the aerospace industry. He also
hopes that this passion and enthusiasm will rub off on his
students and encourage them to pursue a career in this
field. StaffLink
Andy with research thesis supervisor Dr James Cambell from the
Department of Applied Mechanics and Astronautics.
14 STAFF DEVELOPMENT
London Calling:
Experiencing a Cultural Wonderland
L
earning to deal with the cold weather and learning
to cook were two things Student Development Officer
Han Chin Kwong had to get used to when he enrolled
in the one-year Master of Arts in Arts Administration and
Cultural Policy in London last year.
According to Chin Kwong, one of the keys to having a
successful arts group is about differentiation. Having
witnessed first-hand how arts and music productions were
marketed in London, he plans to come up with various
ways to package NYP’s arts, dance, and music groups.
“In London, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the
London Symphony Orchestra complement each other
by playing different genres of music,” he said. “I was also
quite impressed by how the theatre groups engaged
members of the ageing population to share war stories,
which they use to develop their plays.”
Apart from arts events, Chin Kwong also managed
to catch some Wimbledon matches and take part in
sporting events like marathons and races. He also got to
row with the dragon boat team in London.
Chin Kwong at London Bridge.
Chin Kwong was sponsored by NYP for this Masters
programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, in United
Kingdom. Having always been interested in the arts, he
wanted to see for himself how arts groups in London were
managed.
It turned out to be an eye opener for him, as he spent a
very fruitful year learning about branding and marketing
for the arts, audience development, programming,
as well as cultural policy. He even got to work with a
community arts centre in Albany (London) to develop
some promotional programmes.
“Albany is in Southeast London, where there are many
immigrants,” said Chin Kwong. “Through social media, we
studied the profile and behaviour patterns of the people
who attended their performances, and came up with a
plan that utilised their location and culture to create a
unique selling point.”
The bus to Wimbledon.
Chin Kwong also managed to marry his passion for arts
with his interest in music in London. A big fan of Tchaikovsky
and Gustav Mahler symphonies, he would scan through
the London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic orchestra
schedules often.
“To listen to the world’s leading orchestras play is one of
the best things ever,” he exclaimed. “There’s so much
to learn from watching and participating in cultural
events. London certainly provided a rich learning
environment.” StaffLink
15 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
National Day Award Winners 2012
T
his August, 12 NYP staff were conferred National Day
Awards. We offer our heartiest congratulations to them!
Name
Department/
School
Award
Chia Chiang
Yong Danils
NYPi
Public
Administration
Medal (Silver)
Francis Fung
SEG
Lam Yook Ming
SEG
Albert Lim
SIDM
Wee Aik Hwee
SA
Terence Ang
EM
Lim Kiah Yeow
SDN
Lim Kok Hua
SEG
Wong Gee Tin
PSC
Stephen Lim
SIDM
Marcus Loh
SEG
Woo Wai Hong
SBM
Public
Administration
Medal (Bronze)
The
Commendation
Medal
The Efficiency
Medal
(From left) Danils Chia, Francis Fung, Lam Yook Ming, Albert Lim,
and Wee Aik Hwee.
We would also like to congratulate Lina Chong,
who received the Public Service Medal 2012 for her
contributions to the community!
(From left) Terence Ang, Wong Gee Tin, Lim Kiah Yeow
and Lim Kok Hua.
Lina Chong (in foreground) who organised community project
Project Paint 2011.
(From left) Efficiency Medal winners Marcus Low, Woo Wai Hong
and Stephen Lim.
16 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Here are some of the recent organisational awards NYP received:
Work-Life Achiever Award 2012
NYP has attained the Work-Life Achiever (WLA) Award
2012 for its successful work-life strategies and practices,
conferred by the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life
Strategy.
On behalf of NYP, Deputy Principal (Development)
Edward Ho received the WLA Award 2012 from Senior
Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Education,
Hawazi Daipi, at the Work-Life Excellence Award 2012
Gala Dinner on 12 October 2012.
Said Mr Hawazi, “Employers are doing more to foster
workplace cultures that support work-life harmony
through more communication and sharing on work-life
strategies, particularly from the management.”
NYP is committed to building a sustainable work-life culture,
by encouraging its employees to strike a healthy balance
between work and family commitments. It has a range
of flexible work arrangements and benefits, including
part-time opportunities, Saturdays-off, discretionary timeoff and healthy lifestyle hour. It also offers schemes such
as the Flexi-Work Arrangement, Telework scheme, and
Staggered Work Hour scheme. It has even implemented
a customised diploma programme to enable its admin
support staff, juggling both work and family commitments,
to squeeze in studies during work hours.
NYP is proud to be a recipient of the WLA Award, and will
continue to strive for seamless work-life integration at the
workplace.
Work-Life Achiever Award winners are proud to receive their awards at the Work-Life Excellence Award 2012 Gala Dinner.
NTUC May Day Model Partnership Award
Excellence Award for being an Employer
of Grassroot Leaders
On 12 May 2012, the People’s Association (PA) presented
Human Resource Director Judy Tan and NYP with the
Excellence Award under the Employers of Grassroot
Leaders category at the PA Community Spirit (PACS)
Awards 2012 Ceremony. The Guest-of-Honour for the
ceremony was Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister’s
Office. StaffLink
(From left) Mr C N Balan, General Treasurer, AUPE, Mr Rahim Alwi,
President, AUPE, Mr Ma Wei Cheng, General Secretary, AUPE,
Mr Chan Lee Mun, Principal & CEO of NYP, Ms Noor Shyma,
Deputy General Secretary, AUPE, Ms Judy Tan, Director of HR,
NYP, Ms Penny Goh, Joint Director of HR, NYP, Mr Yap Chu Yong,
Chairman of AUPE NYP Staff Branch, and Mr Julias Wikarta,
Assistant Director of HR, NYP.
NYP received the NTUC May Day Model Partnership
Award on 19 May 2012.
This award was given to NYP for its collaborative efforts
with the union to provide opportunities for its staff
for improved productivity and skills upgrading. NYP
received this award together with its union partner, the
Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE).
Judy Tan, Human Resource Director, receiving the award on behalf
of NYP from Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister Office.