7 new ITE diploma courses to be introduced in April 2023
Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates will have access to seven new diploma programmes from 2023.
Three new technical diploma courses are being offered in hospitality and hotel management, beauty and wellness management, and civil and structural engineering.
ITE is also offering graduates four new work-study diploma programmes. They are in agriculture and aquaculture technology, customer experience management, facilities management, and security operations.
A work-study diploma takes 2½ years to complete, while a technical diploma takes two to 2½ years. The new diploma programmes will commence in April 2023.
The diploma in hospitality and hotel management will be conducted in collaboration with the EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland. Students will have opportunities to experience a Swiss immersion programme in EHL campuses in Switzerland.
The other two technical diplomas are being offered in collaboration with Hong Kong’s Vocational Training Council (VTC), a professional education and training provider.
Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman announced the new programmes at ITE College Central during a ceremony on Thursday which saw 371 students graduate with various work-study diplomas.
The work-study diploma programme, which ITE started in 2018 with four courses and 100 trainees, will be expanded to 40 courses with the inclusion of the four that will be rolled out in 2023.
Dr Maliki said the two types of diploma programmes allow ITE graduates to upskill and form relationships with industry partners, adding: “They provide opportunities for ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec graduates to progress to a diploma through skills mastery and practice.”
The work-study programme in particular includes classroom learning, along with on-the-job training. Dr Maliki said this will allow them to earn a salary and benefit from work experience while studying.
Mr Koh Han Jie, who is now the head chef at French restaurant Ce Soir, graduated with a technical diploma in culinary arts in 2016.
In his first year, he competed for an internship at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant Bread Street Kitchen at Marina Bay Sands. In one of the challenges, students had to cook eggs in different ways under 10 minutes.
He recalled practising for hours with his mentors and lecturers to whip up scrambled eggs. Mr Koh did well enough in the competition to secure a three-month internship at the restaurant.
“The internship was a great learning experience, and taught me many things like what is needed to run a restaurant successfully. “Since it is run by a famous celebrity chef, it was interesting to see how the restaurant was built from scratch,” said Mr Koh, 29.
He said the technical diploma course also taught him the importance of discipline.
“It not only taught us how to hone our skills in culinary arts, but also prepared us for the long hours that are required to properly manage a restaurant,” said Mr Koh.
In his speech, Dr Maliki noted the importance of partnerships between industry and educational institutions.
“Companies participating in the ITE work-study diploma programme show us how industry practitioners and employers can play an active role in promoting workplace learning and supporting Singapore’s lifelong learning ecosystem,” he added.
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