BEYOND N LEVELS SPECIAL | SPH CONTENT LAB

NEW NITEC COURSE TO MEET INDUSTRY NEEDS

From January, a new Nitec in Digital & Precision Engineering will be introduced at ITE College Central. The course was developed in consultation with the Economic Development Board and the Singapore Precision Engineering & Technology Association.

This is in tandem with the roll-out of the Precision Engineering Industry Transformation Map by the Government, which will be focusing on new growth areas such as robotics, additive manufacturing (3D printing), lasers and optics.

Graduates are trained to be machinists at the higher-value chain of activities in the manufacturing industry, and will

acquire higher-level programming and machining skills such as multi-axis machining and complex computer numerical control machining.

They can work as manufacturing specialists in the manufacturing industry, namely the aerospace, oil and gas, precision modules and components, medical manufacturing, transport engineering, as well as machinery and systems sectors.

Visit www.ite.edu.sg for more information.

FEELING unsure about his next move after his GCE N-level exam-inations in 2008, Mr Saravana Kumaran Kanan literally looked to the skies for inspiration.

A passion for aeroplanes encouraged by his father and uncle, coupled with Mr Sara-vana’s love for tinkering with machines and fixing things, eventually led him to sign up for the Nitec in Aerospace Machin-ing Technology at the former Institute of Technical Educa-tion’s (ITE) Balestier Campus.

“There, I could pursue both interests — working with my hands and airplanes — that was cool,” he says.

Cultivating a love for learningAs he disliked studying, Mr Sara-vana initially lacked motivation. But the 25-year-old’s outlook changed after his first year at ITE when he started practical lessons in machining.

Being able to fiddle with machines and uncover the intri-cacies of their parts rekindled his interest in learning.

Mr Oh Tong Chai, his form teacher then, also made him reflect on his attitude towards learning.

He says: “I remember Mr Oh telling us to make a name for ourselves in our learning jour-ney; to let at least one person remember us for what we have accomplished.

“That made me better value the learning opportunities I had, and inspired me to make the best of my education at ITE.”

In fact, Mr Saravana was selected for an overseas indus-

Ready for take-offMr Saravana Kumaran Kanan’s learning journey at ITE laid the foundation for a fulfilling career

The teachers at ITE make the effort to get to know students and engage them. More importantly, they do not give up on us. I still keep in touch with many of my teachers, as they have helped me become the person I am today.

MR SARAVANA KUMARAN KANAN

assistant sourcing executiveST Aerospace Engineering

trial attachment at Advance Tech’s branch in Wuxi, China. During the two-month-long stint, he served as a computer numerical control machine operator and a quality control assistant.

After achieving his Nitec in Aerospace Machining Technol-ogy in 2011, he was keen to take up a diploma course to develop his technical competencies and knowledge in the field further.

When ITE invited him to an interview for admission to its Technical Engineer Diploma (TED) in Machine Technology,

MEREDITH WOO

LATASHNI GOBI NATHAN

JOSHUA WONG

Ms Cheong is now pursuing a Bachelor of Environmental Studies at NUS. PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Mr Soh is looking forward to starting his degree at Kaplan next year. PHOTO: KAPLAN

he decided to give it a shot.One of the highlights was

going with a team to Stuttgart, Germany, for a three-week exchange programme at partner institution Gottlieb-Daimler- Schule 1. There, they showcased a device that would aid wheel-chair-bound patients with home physiotherapy.

By the time he returned, he had already missed all the classes for a full module. Thank-fully his lecturer Toh Nam Hor noticed him putting in extra hours after class to study with his coursemates and he decided to help them with their revision.

Mr Saravana says: “Mr Toh left a deep impact on me. His lessons were very interactive. With him, I did not feel like I was in the classroom, but instead out on the field.

“The teachers at ITE make the effort to get to know students and engage them. More impor-tantly, they do not give up on us.

“I still keep in touch with many of my teachers, as they have helped me become the person I am today.”

Learning about precision engineering also led him to understand the virtue of being dedicated and meticulous in all that he does in life.

Moving upAfter completing his national service, Mr Saravana joined ST Aerospace Engineering last year as an assistant sourcing execu-tive.

His duties include overseeing the sourcing of suppliers to provide aerospace parts for the conversion of passenger aircraft into freighters or cargo aircraft. He also provides on-site support in the conversion process.

He plans to work in the turbine aircraft sector, and to continue playing a positive role in making airplanes better and safer through precision engi-neering.

Achieving her goalsA head for numbers

WITH climate change increas-ingly in the news, Ms Cheong Si Hui decided to pursue a related course after her GCE N-level examinations.

She felt that the demand for specialists in environmental issues would continue to rise, and lead to more career oppor-tunities.

After graduating from Jurong West Secondary School, the 21-year-old applied for the Republic Polytechnic (RP) Poly-technic Foundation Programme (PFP) in 2013. After a year on the PFP as part of the first cohort, she took up a regular three-year Environmental Science diploma programme, graduating earlier this year. RP launched the Environmental Science diploma programme in 2007.

One of the highlights of Ms Cheong’s course was RP’s Problem-Based Learning peda- gogy where students were divided into teams to work on, and present to the whole class, solutions to a problem. It was good training, she says, as in the workforce, she would have to solve problems on her own.

Hard work pays offAt first, learning at the same pace as her classmates was challenging for Ms Cheong. She found herself struggling to grasp concepts and experienced considerable stress until she decided to reach out for help.

She found that peer consulta-tion was “surprisingly helpful”.

“When I did not understand, I would just ask. I asked my facili-tator about certain concepts and sought my friends’ help when I still did not understand,” she recalls.

Ms Cheong’s diligence paid off when she received two schol-arships consecutively at RP’s annual School Awards Ceremony from Mencast Offshore & Marine in 2015 and the Lee Foundation last year. Each scholarship awarded her $3,000.

She says: “When the guest-of-honour presented me with

the scholarship, I felt that all the hard work I had put into my studies was worth it.

“It is this sense of achievement that motivates me to push myself even harder to obtain better results.”

The joy of teamworkOne of Ms Cheong’s fondest mem-ories is working on her final-year project (FYP) on implementing a low-cost wastewater treatment method.

Together with four friends, she logged hours doing lab work and writing reports, in addition to studying for other modules. Although she found the experi-ence difficult, it was ultimately a rewarding one.

She recalls: “It was through this experience that the five of us bonded — all the laughter while doing the project, and spending more time with one another than with our parents.

“When my friends and I meet up, we always reminisce about

our FYP times and realise how much we miss them.”

The diploma programme has helped to ease Ms Cheong into her current studies at the National University of Singa-pore, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Environmental Studies. When she graduates in 2021, she plans to work in the government sector.

HEAD Serene Goh EDITOR Meredith WooWRITERS Latashni Gobi Nathan, Joshua Wong CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Uma Venkatraman COPY EDITORS Paula Grosse, Goh Hwee Koon ART DIRECTOR Chris Tan PHOTOGRAPHER Chong Jun Liang ASSISTANT MANAGER Wee Ngiap Hiang ADVERTISING SALES Cecilia Yeo (9878-8288), Shaun Phang (9759-6830), Vincent Teo (9697-4947), Philip Lim (9675-0266)For reproduction of articles or reprints of photographs, call SPH’s Information Resource Centre: 6319-5508 or 6319-5726. E-mail feedback to contentlab@sph.com.sg

LISTENING to his grandfather’s insightful analysis of financial reports and the stock market was a regular feature of Mr Joseph Soh Yuxuan’s life as he was growing up. Far from finding the subject matter dry, he began to be fasci-nated by the finance world.

Says Mr Soh, 22: “My grand-father is the reason I knew from a young age where I wanted my career path to take me. He sparked my interest in the finance field and helped me understand how the markets work. He has always motivated me and his other grandchildren to complete our higher educa-tion and work hard.”

When it came to picking a diploma course after finishing his GCE N-Level examinations, he knew he wanted to do some-thing related to commerce. The next step was to find a school best suited for him.

Mr Soh did his research care-

fully. “I read comments on forums about all the schools in Singapore.

“I took my time to learn about career prospects and spoke to multiple people about their choices and feedback on the schools,” he says.

He came across Kaplan and discovered that the school had won multiple awards and has a great mix of reputable university partners.

“I enrolled in Kaplan’s Diploma in Commerce (Finance and Banking) after finding out that the school is highly regarded by graduates and its students. Moreover, Kaplan allows you to possibly finish your diploma within eight months, so I could pursue my degree quicker,” says Mr Soh.

A good environmentWith a passion for finance and a desire to fulfil his grandfather’s wish that he graduate with a degree, Mr Soh worked hard to complete his diploma.

“I loved studying in Kaplan.

The lecturers are knowledgeable and made lessons fun and com-prehensible. I learnt quickly and found it easy to keep up with the pace in class,” he says.

Besides being taught by local lecturers for his diploma, he will have the opportunity to learn from faculty from University College Dublin (UCD) for his degree.

“I understood the concepts well and valued the different experiences each lecturer brought to the classroom. I definitely want to continue my degree at Kaplan,” says Mr Soh.

He is looking forward to starting his Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours), Banking and Wealth Management through UCD at Kaplan next year.

“I know that people wish to achieve financial stability and are looking for ways to invest their money wisely. I hope to work in the consumer banking or wealth management sector so that I can advise people on their finances,” he says.

Mr Saravana’s course in ITE marries both his passions — tinkering with machines and airplanes. PHOTOS: ITE

B8 | THE STRAITS TIMES | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2017 |