RP Alumni dREam Magazine September 2018 by Republic Polytechnic, Alumni Services

Issue 47 l September 2018

DREAMING BIG AND FIGHTING TO ASPIRE IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY PAGE 6

IGNITE! MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018 HIGHLIGHTS PAGE 8

CAREER CHALLENGES FACING FRESH GRADUATES PAGE 14

www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

ISSUE 47 SEP 2018

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

LEVERAGE THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

EDITOR’S NOTE

SHE KICKS ON! RP’S ALUMNI WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM

RP ATHLETES SHINE IN THE WOMEN’S ASIA OCEANIA FLOORBALL CUP (AOFC) 2018 & WORLD UNIVERSITY FLOORBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (WUFC) 2018

DREAMING BIG AND FIGHTING TO ASPIRE IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY

HOME-GROWN START-UP MEETS THAI LEADERS

dREam is a quarterly publication to keep graduates informed about the happenings in RP, continued education, career opportunities, networking sessions and more, in the hope of achieving their aspirations.

IGNITE! MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018 HIGHLIGHTS

BUILDING AND MANAGING YOUR PORTFOLIO

No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed or implied in dREam are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

SKILLSFUTURE EARN & LEARN PROGRAMME (ELP) FOR HOTELS SECTOR

SMART NATION SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO RP’S DISM PIONEER ALUMNUS

CAREER CHALLENGES FACING FRESH GRADUATES

ALUMNI@RP EMAIL 5 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED

WITH THE SPECIALIST DIPLOMAS IN DIGITAL BUSINESS • BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

SKILLSFUTURE EARN AND LEARN PROGRAMMES

SPECIALIST DIPLOMA IN

DIGITAL BUSINESS The SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme (ELP) leading to the Specialist Diploma in Digital Business will provide opportunities for fresh Polytechnic graduates to deepen their skills and knowledge needed for a career in the Digital economy. The Specialist Diploma in Digital Business focuses on offering indepth knowledge and application on various strategies in digital business along with technology and design of e-commerce portals. With practicum based on real case studies and industry projects, participants can learn more about the commercialisation process of turning ideas into innovative products and services as well as the sustainable business models behind them.

www.rp.edu.sg/skillsfuture

SPECIALIST DIPLOMA IN

BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY This programme will provide opportunities for fresh Polytechnic graduates to deepen their skills and knowledge needed for a career in the medical technology and healthcare related industries. The Specialist Diploma in Biomedical Technology focuses on offering in-depth knowledge and application on various principles, applications, technology and design of medical sensors, devices and instruments commonly used in biomedical sector. These include, but are not limited to, cardiac devices, ophthalmological devices, biomedical implant, spirometer, medical imaging instruments, and etc.

DREAM. AN RP ALUMNI MAGAZINE. EVERYTHING STARTS FROM A DREAM.

PUBLISHER

Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Republic Polytechnic 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964

EDITORIAL

Editor Lu Qiuhui Shena Designer PurpleCircle Design Pte Ltd

COPYEDITOR & PROOFREADER Kucinta Books Pte Ltd Biz No: 201429813D

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

Email dream@rp.edu.sg Enquiries www.alumni.rp.edu.sg Facebook www.fb.com/alumniRP

EDITOR’S NOTE IGNITE! Music Festival 2018 celebrates its 11th anniversary this year with another big bang. Follow us as we bring to you the highlights of the event and some of our favourite local talents such as ORANGECOVE, MEAN, and M1LDL1FE. After great music, we also celebrate in the sports arena where six RP alumni and students were selected for the national squad for Women’s Asia Oceania Floorball Cup (AOFC) and emerged as champions! Next we followed Joseph Lee Quanlong who has a cool job at One Championship (ONE), Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts organisation. For the entrepreneur in you, you will be excited to hear from alumnus Ronnie Ang Lui Teng, who started his own start-up company. He represented Singapore in the Singapore Manufacturing Federation as one of the 32 local companies on a business mission trip to Thailand and met various Thai leaders. If you are not starting out your own company like Ronnie but looking for a job, what can you do to set yourself apart from other job applicants? Find out from page 14 the services our RP Career Centre can offer to you. And if you recognise that there is a skills gap between yourself and the jobs you are applying, check out the list of courses offered by RP’s Academy for Continuing Education (ACE) at this website: https://www.rp.edu.sg/ace. Vanni Tan, an SOH alumna, shares her story after having taken the Earn and Learn Programme (ELP) for Hotels Sector, and Specialist Diploma in Hospitality Business Management (SDHBM). Following all the buzz about digitalization and Singapore becoming a “Smart Nation”, RP is offering Specialist Diploma in Digital Business. Do check it out! Join us as we congratulate SOI alumnus Low Cheong Wah, Alan, who is one of the nine recipients of the Smart Nation Scholarship. Last but not least, as we work and accumulate wealth, we would also want to start building and managing our portfolio. The article on page 10 guides us on getting started and what to watch out for. Save, but spend on what is important. Book your ticket now for Alumni Movie Screening on Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald!

! n O s k She Kic m

a e T r e c c o S ’s n e m o RP’s Alumni W

e intention of set up in 2010. Th st fir am te er cc so men’s aying and very own alumni wo m RP to continue pl ’s fro !) RP is ies lad FC u ic yo bl at pu Re (looking prised a team of 15 s to allow everyone am started, it com te e th n forming the team wa he W n. tio ts and hectic work er beyond gradua ayers’ commitmen pl to e du r, working out togeth ve we s. Ho and 2009 graduate players from 2008 ive. ct ina e soon becam schedules, the team was made in 2015. pt to revive the team m te at l sfu es cc su a , Soccer Club. e game still burning echnic’s Women’s lyt Po ic bl pu With the love of th Re WSC ially renamed as RP The team was offic r of 25 players. th a healthy numbe wi , FC ic bl pu Re to team rebranded Two years on, the quiries, reach out ested or have any en er int be u yo ld ou s. Sh ly recruiting player The team is current gmail.com. c@ icf bl at teamrepu ies lad ly ve lo e th to

KEEP YOUR PROFILE CURRENT!

As an RP alumni, you will be able to update your personal particulars conveniently via SingPass and MyInfo platforms. MyInfo allows forms to be auto-filled with data pulled from various government agencies such as name, NRIC number and registered address. Activate your profile now at https://www.singpass.gov.sg/myinfo if you have not done so. Thereafter, MyInfo will auto-populate with your most recent MyInfo particulars each time you update your particulars in the RP Alumni Portal. Hence, making your profile update with RP easier than ever.

DO YOUR PREFER TO RECEIVE YOUR DREAM IN HARDCOPY? Simply login to Graduates’ Portal at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg to indicate your preference under your personal profile now! (applicable for local addresses only)

www.republic-fc.com republicxfc

@republicfc

RP ATHLETES SHINE IN THE WOMEN’S ASIA OCEANIA FLOORBALL CUP (AOFC) 2018

& WORLD UNIVERSITY FLOORBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (WUFC) 2018 “I am Siti Nurhaliza. I represented SG in the recent AOFC 2018 which was held in SG and also the WUG 2018 at Poland. I got this golden opportunity by going for trials which assessed the player’s fitness and game play. After every few trainings, we would go through selection periods whereby they will cut down the number of players. It was a very hectic 5 months of high intensity training which happens about 5-6 days per week.

The inaugural Women’s Asia Oceania Floorball Cup (AOFC) was held at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore from 18 to 23 June 2018. Hosted by Singapore Floorball Association, eight countries from the Asia Oceanica region participated in this tournament (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Iran, Philippine and Japan). Six RP Students and Alumni were selected into the national squad after the selection trials began in January 2018. After months of intensive training and much hard work that have been put in to prepare for the tournament, the Singapore Women National Floorball Team emerged as champions on home ground in this first ever AOFC. With the great success and achievement in AOFC, the team was named Team of the Year (Team Sports) award at Singapore Sports Awards 2018 in July. On top of that, four of the ladies also went on to represent the nation in the FISU World University Floorball Championship (WUFC) held in Lodz, Poland from 26 June to 2 July 2018. WUFC comprised not only Asian countries but also the European powerhouses such as Sweden, Finland, Poland and Czech Republic. This is also the first time that polytechnic students are eligible to compete and form the combined polytechnic/university team, to represent Singapore Through these international tournaments, our RP athletes were given the rare opportunity to play against the best and at the highest level of the sport, which indeed is a DREAM come true.

“Training hard and finally being selected into the national squad and representing Singapore was definitely the best thing ever. The experience you get going against other countries’ best players is memorable and it boosts me even more to give my best and never give up even when it’s tough!” LINA CHU

SOH Alumni

“Playing this sport for close to a decade and finally being able to don the flag on my chest to play for the nation is really a dream come true. Close to 5 months of pre-tournament training which consist at least 5-6 sessions per week is really mentally and physically draining. However the encouragement and moral support of my teammates, family and friends really helped smooth this journey. With the sport growing tremendously in Singapore, I hope younger players will be inspired and motivated to reach the highest level of play.”

We did rather well at the AOFC which got us winning streaks and emerge as the Champions. For WUG, although we got 5th placing, the team did not give up but we fought hard against the top european teams like Sweden. It was a good exposure and experience for all of us. The games in Poland was an eye-opener because we get to have the gist of what is it like to play at an international level. The gap between the Asians and Europeans certainly boost us in a way to work harder and hopefully to be on par with then someday.” SITI NURHALIZA BTE KHAIRUL A SHL Year 3 Student

TAN HUI ZHI SHL Alumni

Home-grown start-up meets Thai leaders Holding an important role in Theo10 and representing it in the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, Ronnie had the opportunity to represent Singapore as one of 32 local companies on a business mission trip to Thailand from 25 to 27 June 2018. Thailand is a wellknown country amongst Singaporeans for its numerous shopping malls, luxurious hotels and white, peaceful beaches. But how did Thailand step up to the expectations? Ronnie had the privilege to go behind the scenes and meet the various leaders who drive the economy, including Deputy Minister of Industry; Vice Minister for Commerce and Senior Advisor to National Economic and Social Development Board, Prime Minister Office.

AND FIGHTING TO ASPIRE IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY Joseph Lee Quanlong was in the pioneer batch of the Diploma in Sports and Leisure Management (now known as Diploma in Sport Management) at the School of Sports, Health and Leisure (SHL). His outstanding academic achievements in RP enabled him to secure a place at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science Management. After he graduated, he worked his way into the position of Senior Coordinator of Commercial Partnership at One Championship (ONE), Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts organisation. Despite his hectic work schedule at ONE, Joseph continued to actively give back to SHL. He shared his education and career journey at our Parents’ Communication Session and worked on industry collaboration initiatives with SHL students, providing potential opportunities for them to explore in the local sports scene. To sharpen his business acumen in the sports scene, Joseph took a year off from his work life to pursue a Master of Science Technopreneurship and Innovation Programme at NTU. Since 1 June 2018, Joseph has worked at the prestigious Arsenal Football Club, focusing on commercial partnership in the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets. We caught up with Joseph recently to ask what advice he would have for RP students and graduates aiming to succeed in a sports career. Joseph shared, “I come from a humble background and my O-level results coming into Republic Polytechnic were not impressive. Never would I have dreamed of working and being part of the commercial team of a leading Premier League Club. I still recall the advice our RP facilitators gave us – “to be daring to make mistakes while we are young”. Since then I have adopted the mind-set of ‘fail fast, learn fast’. If I may give any advice I would say, do not be afraid to dream big and fight for your aspirations. The biggest mistake we can make is to be fearful of making mistakes. When you set your heart to pursue your dream, you may surprise yourself positively.”

ABOUT RONNIE

Ronnie graduated from RP with a Diploma in Sports and Leisure Management from the School of Sports, Health and Leisure. He then obtained a Bachelors of Science in Sports Management (Honours) at Northumbria University, Newcastle, United Kingdom. He got introduced to entrepreneurship while studying full-time in United Kingdom. Since his return in 2015, he has been growing this start-up company, Theo10.

What does Theo10 do?

Theo10 is a start-up company manufacturing Singapore’s very first range of cosmeceutical products using 100% natural and organic certified ingredients for daily problems. Their products have been approved and certified by Health Science Authority, Singapore. SPRING Singapore funded our company after we attained ISO9001 and the ACE Start-up Grant in 2013. R: We were blessed and privileged to have been interviewed and featured on local and international media such as Singapore Tatler (December 2015), The Straits Times, Shin Min Daily News, CNN and BBC in September 2016. We were also humbled to be invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to showcase our made-in-Singapore products in their Singapore Visitor Centre.

“I never knew I had this opportunity until I joined this company!” Ronnie

Assistant Sales Director Theo10 Pte Ltd

What is your greatest learning and take-over from this business mission trip? R: It has been an eye-opener to experience the growth of another nation and hearing expert advice and opinions on the upcoming Industrial Revolution 4.0. Singaporeans must keep an open mind towards learning and improving ourselves as our counterparts from other countries are catching up steadily. The one thing that strikes me in the heart is their willingness to help each other to grow and move forward together.

How would you apply what you have learnt into your current work?

R: This camaraderie spirit can be cultivated not only within the company itself, but it can also be applied to other businesses. Through collaborating with other businesses, the local start-ups like mine will be able to flourish and we can build an eco-system of positive energy and community.

MUSIC FESTIVAL

BY Nur Amirah Bte Azman School of Management and Communication, Year 3

Even though IGNITE! Music Festival 2018 is over (sadly), that does not mean the end of our support for local music. Here are some of our favourite moments from our favourite local talents!

day 1 ORANGECOVE

We started off day one right with ORANGECOVE! After two years of hiatus, the Pop Punk band is finally back on the stage singing catchy songs like “Here We Go Again” and “Bad Boys” that definitely got the audience bobbing their heads!

MEAN

The Dapper Rapper stage presence was a 10/10. From his chill rap songs like “They Know” to his dope outfit that got his fans wondering how he managed to survive in it with Singapore’s humid weather, MEAN captured our attention throughout his set. Busting out trending dance moves such as the milly rock and blocboy’s look alive dance got the whole crowd grooving with him.

There was also a surprise guest appearance! ORANGECOVE shocked the audience by sharing the stage with “Falling Feathers” who also performed for #IGNITEMF10! It’s always great to see familiar faces.

SOBS’S TELLTALE SIGNS

There’s nothing to sob about when it comes to this band. The young and fresh Sobs performed us songs like “Catflap” and “Breakfast” from their newly released fulllength album “Telltale Signs”. With their quirky and cute little dances, you can’t help but fall in love with them!

JOIE TAN IS MY QUEEN

After a lit performance, Joie Tan came on stage and graced all of us with her heart-warming stories and songs that made the audience connected with her on a personal level. You can feel her emotions through when she sang “What Is Love” and “Right Here, Right Now“ from her album “Joie”.

2018 HIGHLIGHTS day 2 I’LL TRUST THE CHAOS

Started our second day with IGNITE! Band Auditions 2018 Winner, Trust The Chaos! TTC is a punk, rock, grunge band with influences from the likes of Paramore (the old Paramore). Being the clear underdogs of IGNITE! Music Festival 2018 did not stop TTC from giving it their all.

JAMMIN’ WITH HARDIHOOD

Hardihood is like every other band you’ll find… except they stick strictly to instrumentals. Being the only band in IGNITE! Music Festival 2018’s line up to focus solely on the beats and strums, they are not an act to be missed. Some of the songs they performed for IGNITE! were “Return To Sanity” and “Sleep Well Tonight”.

JAMMIN’ WITH HARDIHOOD

A PLEASANT NIGHT WITH PLEASANTRY

Being sandwiched between two hip-hop acts did not stop Pleasantry from being able to maintain the crowd’s energy. They got the crowd grooving to their soothing and delicate tunes and even debuted a few new ones. Despite not having performed together in a while, Pleasantry still managed to put up a pleasant performance!

FARIZ JABBA X YUNG RAJA FT DJ K FAITH

Mad moves make the earth shake. Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba and DJ K Faith’s performance literally caused the lawn to shake. Performing hits like More Better, Yung Mustafa and their own take on Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” made the entire crowd go wild. IGNITE! Music Festival 2018 being the duo’s first stop of their “With the Mob” tour make sure to catch their subsequent performances.

DISTRACTED BY M1LDLIFE

M1LDL1FE is no stranger to us. All attention went to the stage when M1LDL1FE took over the stage. Been around in the music industry for a while, it is no surprise that many anticipated their set and was singing along to “Distraction” and our all-time favourite, “In Your Arms”.

That’s right, IGNITE! Band Audition 2017 winner is back! This year, MOTUS blessed all of us with their amazing original song, “Outta This Funk”. A song that makes you want to get up and tap your feet to the beat of the song.

THE PSALMS

The Psalms put up an electrifying performance, led by their intense powerhouse vocalist. The band even dropped fresh new visuals and design for their iconic “P” logo. Instead of a monochromatic black-and-white look, their logo is now a bright neon and fluorescent red.

Also, notice all the tie-dye? It is MOTUS’s new look! All the bright colours definitely match their bright energy and personality.

HEADBANGING WITH VILLES

Although it was well into the night, Villes entered the stage Villes got us banging our heads as they screamed their hearts out to “Don’t You Worry” causing the crowd to make some waves.

I’LL BE YOURS, DISCO HUE

Disco Hue is living up to their name with the retro outfits. They also performed their newest single “Can’t Be Mine” live for the very first time on IGNITE! stage which is a throwback sound from the 80s and 90s with a modern twist. A definite bop!

CARACAL

After the long-awaited wait, Caracal is finally back. The band made their comeback with new members for the very first time on IGNITE! They even performed their new single “Manicenigmatic” for the hyped-up fans who stayed all the way till the end to catch their performance. IGNITE! Music Festival 2018 was a blast. The crew from IGNITE! would like to thank everyone who came down and supported and believed in us. #IGNITEMF18 might be over, but we will see you soon in 2019!

BUILDING AND MANAGING YOUR PORTFOLIO GETTING STARTED AND WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR We are likely to save or invest because we want money for some future goal. If you are new to investing, here are some steps to get you started on an investment plan.

KNOW YOURSELF AND HOW SOME INVESTING BASICS APPLY TO YOU:

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW OR UNDERSTAND

WHAT IT MEANS

UNDERSTAND YOUR RISK PROFILE OR YOUR NEED, ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO TAKE RISK

Your need to take risk largely depends on the returns you want. But your ability to take risk depends on factors such as the commitments you have, the length of your investment horizon, and how much capital you have and can afford to lose. Your willingness to take risks may be curtailed if your need and ability to take risk are low. We all have different risk profiles. Check out the Risk Tolerance Questionnaire at the Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB) website.

UNDERSTAND THE BASICS OF INVESTING

Understand concepts like risk-return tradeoff. If you are uncomfortable about losing money, you may need to consider less risky products which may provide lower expected returns. Understand how portfolio diversification and asset allocation can help you achieve your investment objectives.

UNDERSTAND YOUR INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES

These support your goals like building up retirement savings. For example, if you have already reached your savings goals, your investment objective may be capital preservation to protect what you have saved. If you have retired and need to have easy access to your retirement savings, your investment objective could be to ensure high liquidity investments. You might also want your capital to generate income. But if you are young and just starting to build your retirement savings, your investment objective may be capital growth or accumulation. In short, your investment objective is likely to be influenced by your risk profile and life stage.

WORK OUT THE RETURNS YOU NEED TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS (BUT MAKE SURE YOU CAN TAKE THE RISK)

Work out the returns (adjusting for transaction costs and inflation) you need to achieve your goals given the capital you are starting with and how much you need in the future. But do manage your expectations for returns so it’s based on a level of risk you are comfortable with. When looking for a product suitable for you, do shop around and compare what’s available before making a decision.

KNOW WHAT PRODUCTS YOU ALREADY HAVE AND CONSIDER HOW TO BUILD A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO STARTING WITH THESE

You might already have some shares or insurance products that are bundled with investments, e.g. whole life or endowment participating or investment linked policies. Know how the new product could enhance existing portfolio of investments. It may be to replace some part of, or supplement or complement your existing portfolio.

SETTING GOALS

Will a new product you are considering lead to you being over-insured or over-exposed to certain investments?

• What are your goals? Common goals include paying off your student loans, accumulating funds for retirement or saving for your children’s education. • Work out how much money you need for the goal. • Work out when you need the money for that goal. The time you have available to invest leading up to when the money is needed is known as your investment horizon.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU AFFORD TO INVEST? • How much money do you have available to invest, after paying your household expenses, insurance premiums and debts, as well as after setting aside some savings? o Can you cut back some expenses to free up more money for saving or investing? o If your investment suffers a loss, will it impact your debt and other commitments, or other goals? • Do not commit to pay or invest more than you can comfortably afford long term. Look for a cost-effective alternative. •

Do you intend to invest using one lump sum or fixed amounts on a regular basis (e.g. monthly, quarterly, or annually)? If the product requires you to regularly pay a sum, do consider what the penalties and consequences are if you miss some payments or are unable to keep up.

• How much time do you have / what’s your age? Do you have time to ride out short term fluctuations or losses, or to benefit from compounding?

CONSOLIDATE AND PRIORITISE YOUR GOALS

After examining what you need, when you need it, how much you can invest, and the risk you can afford to take, you may need to reprioritise your goals. You might need to settle for a smaller house or smaller car, but it would be unwise not to build up adequate retirement savings and provide for adequate healthcare cover.

WHAT STEPS SHOULD YOU TAKE TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL?

This could be saving up or investing in a diversified portfolio of financial products to help you achieve what you need. Always keep the steps above in mind when considering what action to take. Choose your investments based on how suitable it is for your needs and personal circumstances, how well you understand the product, and how it will fit in your diversified portfolio to reach your investment objectives. Do find out whether you can manage risks or limit losses once you are invested. Remember there are products where you

can lose all your initial investment, products where you can lose more than your initial investment and products whose market values go up and down. With the latter, do be aware that markets could be at a downturn when you want to take out your money, so it is important to monitor your investments carefully in case you need to liquidate or take other action sooner. Do consider dollar cost averaging as a means to accumulating the assets you want.

MONITORING PERFORMANCE, REBALANCING AND ADJUSTING YOUR INVESTMENTS

Investing is an on-going responsibility. Even if you can choose to be somewhat passive – investing mainly in unit trusts or funds that track indices - you should regularly review the performance of your investments to see if you are on track to achieving your goals. Keep watch over the factors which may influence the performance of your investments. You may need to take action if your investment is underperforming.

The above information is prepared in collaboration with the Association of Banks in Singapore, Investment Management Association of Singapore and Securities Investors Association (Singapore).

SKILLSFUTURE EARN & LEARN PROGRAMME (ELP) FOR

HOTELS SECTOR BY Vanni Tan

Diploma in Hotel and Hospitality Management (DHHM), 2017 Earn and Learn Programme (ELP) for Hotels Sector, Specialist Diploma in Hospitality Business Management (SDHBM), 2018

WHY DID I EMBARK ON THE EARN AND LEARN PROGRAMME FOR HOTELS SECTOR? I love to meet people of different characters every day. In this way, every day is a learning journey and it gives me a chance to grow, as well as to improve. After my internship in the hotel sector, I also want to understand the trends and the expectations of this ever-changing industry. WHAT DID I LIKE MOST ABOUT SPECIALIST DIPLOMA IN HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME? The challenges that I face every day, and the satisfaction after each shift knowing that I learnt something new. I must also not forget the great support I received from my managers, motivating and allowing me to grow as a person. WHY DID I CHOOSE INTERCONTINENTAL SINGAPORE? I did my internship with a hotel that is very different from InterContinental Singapore, and what spurred me to join InterContinental was mainly the hotel’s culture and rich history. I hope to apply what I learnt during the internship and at this hotel to improve my service skill-sets.

SMART NATION SCHOLARSHIP

MY ADVICE This one year will prove and show you where your interests lie. It will become a learning journey to help you grow stronger and wiser as well as to see how the working industry is really like.

School of Hospitality has invited Vanni to share her experience with the incoming students at the Orientation for Earn and Learn Programmes in June 2018, as well as during the Earn and Learn Carnival held on 28 July 2018 at the Lifelong Learning Institute.

AWARDED TO

RP’S DISM PIONEER ALUMNUS Vanni with her HR team at the ELP Carnival 2018.

Discover Your Hotel Career Pathway with our Earn and Learn Programmes Aligned with SkillsFuture initiatives, School of Hospitality offers a range of workshops and professional development courses to put you and your company at the hospitality forefront. • SkillsFuture Credit applies • Alumni can enjoy 10% discount off Continuing Education and Training programmes EARN AND LEARN PROGRAMMES FOR FRESH GRADUATES • Specialist Diploma in Hospitality Business Management for fresh Polytechnic graduates • Programme leading to Diploma in Business Practice (Hospitality Management) for fresh ITE graduates

YOUR LEARNING NEVER STOPS WITH OUR CET PROGRAMMES FOR WORKING PROFESSIONALS • Part-time Diploma in Business Practice (Hospitality Management)

• Short courses in customer experience, events, food and beverage, hotel and wellness management • Customised workshops for companies

Scan the QR code to visit our website https://www.rp.edu.sg/soh/lifelong-learning for more information on our programmes or full list of entry requirements.

SOI alumnus LOW CHEONG WAH, ALAN is one of the nine recipients of Smart Nation Scholarship awarded on 17 August by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative. Alan graduated at the top of the pioneer batch of Diploma in Infocomm Security Management (DISM) students in May this year, and he competed with other polytechnic graduates, JCs, and mid-term undergraduates from local universities for the limited scholarship offer. He attributes his success in the challenging selection process to the supportive lecturers at the School of Infocomm (SOI), while saying that it’s also an “affirmation of the esteemed standing of our Republic Polytechnic”. Alan’s parent is grateful to RP’s PBL system and staff for helping to nurture his son during his polytechnic journey. Alan is the only polytechnic graduate among the nine recipients of the Smart Nation Scholarship which is awarded to students who passed the rigorous assessment process comprising aptitude tests, management interviews, and agency-specific assessments. The Scholarship is jointly offered by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), Government Technology Agency (GovTech), and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Over the course of his studies in Republic Polytechnic, Alan had been on the Director’s Honour Roll and had been a recipient of Diploma Prize and several Module Prizes from his first to final semester. He will join NUS’s Information Security course after his National Service (NS).

For enquiries, please email elp-hotel@rp.edu.sg

CAREER CHALLENGES FACING FRESH GRADUATES BY Gena Toh

Education & Career Guidance Counsellor

It’s and it’ll last you a lifetime!

– brought to you by Alumni Services, Republic Polytechnic

You have received your Polytechnic Diploma and may be wondering what’s next. You may oscillate between starting your career and pursuing further education. There will be those who have no idea what they want to do while some of you may feel ready to embark on your career.

alumni@rp email—your complimentary, lifelong email account that immediately identifies you as a member of the Republic Polytechnic community! Invoke your sense of pride and belonging to Republic Polytechnic by using an alumni@rp email account! alumni@rp uses the email address format userid@alumni.myrp.edu.sg and helps you stay connected with your friends long after you have graduated.

Transiting from a student into the working world is never easy. When facing this pivotal moment of transition, graduates can be excited yet anxious to navigate the job market. New graduates who have started looking for a job may experience employability anxiety as they feel a lot of pressure to secure a job quickly. Graduating and not having a job can be a stressful experience.

Make sure your experience and skills fit the jobs you are applying for. Having no marketable skills can be a challenge. Having recognised that there is a skills gap between yourself and the jobs you are applying for, the next step is to identify the skills you need to develop further and have a plan for acquiring such skills.

The Career Centre offers the following services to all current students and recent graduates of RP: Contact us at help-studentcareer@rp.edu.sg to fix an appointment with our Education & Career Guidance Counsellors.

As a new graduate, you may have a hard time finding a job in your area of interest due to lack of real-world job experience. You may think that you are best suited for the job but you are also competing with hundreds of other graduates for the same job. In a highly competitive job market, what can you do to set yourself apart from the other job applicants? Are you tailoring your resume to fit the employer’s needs? What are the job interviewing strategies you can use to help you stand out in a job interview?

There are many other factors that go into the hiring process. For example, potential employers use social media screening as part of their hiring process to suss out candidates’ social media presence. Do clean up your social media accounts before you start applying for the job.

Self discovery

Personality and Job Interest Profiling

Career Exploration

Career pathways and labour market information

ECG Counselling

Individual and group counselling, career planning, employment preparation (e.g coaching in jobseeking, resume and interview skills)

Start thinking about how you can take control of your career development. If you feel unsure about your career direction, Career Counsellors at RP Career Centre are available to help you outline and discuss career options as well as to provide guidance on career issues.

programmes

Career workshops, Industry Talks, Career and Educational Fair

resources

Interactive gallery, career/further education materials and job portals

ECG learning journey

Guided tour of RP Career Centre

It is your gateway to maintaining strong bonds with other alumni and also serves as a lifelong connection between you and your alma mater. • Large storage size for email (10GB for Outlook Live) • Password-protected 25GB online storage through Windows Live SkyDrive • Office Live Workspace—room for more than 1000 files You need only 1 EASY STEP to start using your alumni@rp email account! Simply email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg and we will provide you with the link and userID for logging in. This service is currently available for PET (full-time) students only. We are looking into expanding this service to CET (part-time) students soon.

WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR ALMA MATER!

LET YOUR ALMA MATER ORGANISE YOUR GATHERING

USE YOUR CLUB REPUBLIC CARD TO GET BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

READ dREam MAGAZINE

GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO YOUR ALMA MATER

MAKE A DONATION – BANK IN YOUR KARMA CREDIT

Stay connected with your alma mater through the official RP alumni Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/ alumniRP

Your gift will make a difference to the well-being of financially-needy students. It frees them from financial worries and allows them to concentrate on pursuing academic excellence at RP. Logon to www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

Have your professional, social and personal needs met through our diverse range of alumni programmes.

This card identifies you as an alumnus and offers you exclusive benefits and discounts. Apply for your Club Republic Card at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

Be updated on campus activities through this complimentary quarterly publication. Also available online at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg

Get Rewarded for reading

CA L E N DA R OF

EVENTS * Dates subject to changes

WINNERS GET

CASH VOUCHERS! QUIZ FOR SEP ISSUE What is the title of the movie screening and when will it be held? To participate, simply email your answer to dREam@RP.edu.sg with your name, NRIC, and Club Republic membership number. Closing date for the contest is 31 Nov 2018. All winners will be notified by email.

OCTOBER 2018 24 to 31 Oct Reflections

NOVEMBER 2018 1 to 10 Nov

Reflections

17 Nov

Alumni Movie Screening Fantastic Beast and the Crimes of Grindelwald

DECEMBER 2018 25 Dec

Christmas

31 Dec

New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve

CMY

Join us for a fun and relaxing afternoon to network with fellow RP Alumni over sumptuous buffet lunch and movie screening of the much anticipated blockbuster

FOR JUST $5.00

You will be entitled to a buffet lunch, a movie ticket to watch the blockbuster and a popcorn-drink combo set. Purchase your tickets now at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg