incoRPorate - Issue 1 / 2013

Published for industry partners of Republic Polytechnic

inConversation 04 A Day in the Life of…

inFocus 05 Collaborating for Innovation

inNovation Firefly Explorer Backpack

2013 Issue No. 1

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inCelebration 12 Back to the 80s – Partners Appreciation Nite

inPartnership

Editor’s Message

Singapore Airlines

T

On 10 August 2012, Republic Polytechnic (RP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Singapore Airlines (SIA). Through this MOU, SIA and RP will collaborate to offer various initiatives such as student internships, learning opportunities, sponsorships, as well as continuing education and training programmes to meet the increasing needs of the aviation industry.

he past year had been a fantastic one filled with celebrations as we commemorated Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) 10th Anniversary. It would not have been such a success without you, our industry partners, for your continued support. Staying true to our mission, RP will continue to develop our abilities to prepare our students to be independent learners who are ready for the industry.

The Partners Appreciation Nite 2012 was specially dedicated to you. We hope you have enjoyed reliving the good old 80’s and watching the musical “Makanplace” staged in conjunction with RP’s 10th anniversary. Turn to Page 12 to savour the highlights of the night again.

Collaborating for Innovation. See Page 5.

Features inPartnership Singapore Airlines Pratt & Whitney Wildlife Reserves Singapore BizLink Exhibition Services QBE Insurance (International) Diethelm Keller Aviation Hawker Pacific Asia SATS

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inConversation A Day in the Life of…

04 05 09 10

inFocus Collaborating for Innovation inNovation Firefly Explorer Backpack inCelebration The ARCH – RP’s New Purpose-Built Hangar Singapore Olympic Academy Roll of Honour Best Education Experience Award Winner of Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes Social Enterprise Challenge Back to the 80s – Partners Appreciation Nite

Adviser Seto Lok Yin Editor-in-Chief Ronald Wong

The Technology Forum, the largest ever held in RP, brought together 400 academics and business leaders, our innovations and your innovations and insights on a common platform called “Open Innovation, Open Collaboration”. As part of our efforts to enhance students’ learning, we are pleased to have forged partnerships with several major industry players in various sectors in the last quarter of 2012 – Singapore Airlines, Pratt & Whitney, and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, among others.

We would also like to thank QBE Insurance (International) for their generous donation which will help to finance needy RP students’ tuition fees.

Karsten Cramer Design Noelle Tan

(Top L-R): Executive VP Human Resource and Operations of SIA Mr Ng Chin Hwee, RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow.

(Bottom L-R): Director of RP School of Hospitality Mr Albert Toh, RP Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin, Divisional VP Cabin Crew of SIA Mr William Koh, Senior Manager Cabin Crew of SIA Mr Melvyn Lim.

Pratt & Whitney American aviation industry giant Pratt & Whitney and RP signed a two-year MOU on 9 October 2012 aimed at training future aviation professionals to be industry-relevant and industry-ready.

Ronald Wong

incoRPorate is published by the Office of Corporate Communications, in partnership with Office of Technology Development and Office of Industry and Collaboration, Republic Polytechnic, 9 Woodlands Ave 9, Singapore 738964. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Information is correct at time of print.

SIA started out as a regional airline in 1972, and has evolved to become one of the most respected travel brands around the world, renowned for its commitment to service excellence and industry-leading innovations.

– Mr Melvyn Lim, Senior Manager Cabin Crew Divisional Services, Singapore Airlines

It is the lunar year of the snake. Here’s wishing everyone a prosperous and snazzy new year!

We welcome inputs from our readers. If you have an article or suggestion to improve incoRPorate, please email help-occ@rp.edu.sg.

“Singapore Airlines is excited to be partnering with Republic Polytechnic to offer students the internship-recruitment scheme and career opportunities with the airline. We hope both organisations will continue to explore new horizons through cooperation on various fronts and further strengthen the relationship,” said Mr Melvyn Lim, SIA’s Senior Manager Cabin Crew Divisional Services.

Singapore Airlines is excited to be partnering with Republic Polytechnic to offer students the internship-recruitment scheme and career opportunities with the airline...

We are excited to present you our very own hangar, The ARCH. This new training facility allows our students hands-on opportunities to study aircraft structures, systems and engines.

We have more good news to share on Page 10 and 11.

Editors Josephine Teo • Joey Tang Writers Marinne Santiago • Eileen Chew •

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Besides providing internships and work attachments regularly to RP students, Pratt & Whitney will also develop a six-year fast track programme at one of its facilities, Turbine Overhaul Services Pte Ltd, for recruited graduates from RP School of Engineering.

(L-R): Director of RP School of Engineering Dr Wang Jianguo, RP Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin, VP Global Services Partners’ Singapore Overhaul & Repair of Pratt & Whitney Mr William C. Kircher, GM Human Resources of Eagle Services Asia Ms Irene Guok, GM Turbine Overhaul Services of Pratt & Whitney Mr Monty Richardson, GM of Pratt & Whitney Services Mr Goh Seng Liang, Deputy GM of International Aerospace Tubes Asia Mr Manoj Sharma.

To further support RP students, Pratt & Whitney will sponsor students through scholarships or book prizes, starting with the prestigeous Gold Medal Award for the most outstanding graduate from the aerospace engineering diploma.

...We’re pleased at the prospect to work with students, and stimulate the critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed in today’s workforce.

– Mr William C. Kircher, Vice President of Global Service Partners’ Singapore Overhaul and Repair, Pratt & Whitney

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inPartnership

inPartnership

Diethelm Keller Aviation

Wildlife Reserves Singapore

An MOU was inked between Diethelm Keller Aviation Pte Ltd and RP on 17 October 2012 during the official opening of RP’s new hangar, known as The ARCH (read more about the opening of The ARCH on page 10).

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) and RP signed an MOU on 9 November 2012 to pave the way for RP students to hone their technical and service skills at some of Singapore’s finest attractions – Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, Singapore Zoo, and the upcoming River Safari.

As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of airline galley equipment, Diethelm Keller Aviation’s partnership with RP will provide students internship opportunities, final year project mentorship, and exclusive collaboration in technology development.

The three-year partnership will provide training and work opportunities at WRS’ parks in fields including applied science for environmental, conservation, veterinary and animal husbandry, infocomm technology, hospitality, and health and leisure.

(L-R): RP Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin, RP Principal/ CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow, CEO of WRS Mr Lee Meng Tat, COO of WRS Mr Freddy Ong.

...The collaboration with RP allows us to engage youths in conservation efforts, and through this we hope they will in turn spread the message....

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(L-R): Operations Manager of Diethelm Keller Aviation Mr Edwin Lee, CEO of Diethelm Keller Aviation Mr Chia Chee Seng, RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow, RP Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin.

...Through our engagement, we can jointly develop programmes that will be beneficial for both RP and DKA.

– Mr Chia Chee Seng, CEO, Diethelm Keller Aviation

– Mr Lee Meng Tat, CEO, Wildlife Reserves Singapore

BizLink Exhibition Services

Hawker Pacific Asia

During the opening ceremony of the 13th Singapore Gifts & Premiums Fair and 12th Stationery&OfficeLink held on 25 July 2012, fair organiser BizLink Exhibition Services (a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd) and RP inked an MOU to set the framework for joint collaboration.

The partnership between Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd and RP was formalised with the signing of an MOU on 17 October 2012 at the opening of The ARCH. Hawker Pacific Asia is a leading player in the aviation industry providing sales and maintenance services. The two-year MOU will allow RP students to benefit from internships, final year mentoring, industry training, student sponsorships and scholarships, and employment opportunities.

Under this partnership, enterprising students from RP and winners of RP’s entrepreneurship competition, National Pushcart Challenge, will be given an opportunity to exhibit their innovative products at the Singapore Gifts & Premiums Fair and Stationery&OfficeLink to garner industry support for commercialisation.

(L-R): Director of RP Centre for Enterprise and Communication Mr Warren Wang, RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Mr Teo Ser Luck, General Manager of BizLink Exhibition Mr Winston Lim, General Manager of Sphere Exhibits Ms Elaine Chia.

RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow said, “The MOU with BizLink Exhibition Services will offer RP students the opportunity to showcase their product innovations with the relevant industry partners. This is an encouragement to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship at a young age.”

(L-R): VP Singapore Operations of Hawker Pacific Asia Mr Kevin W Smith, CEO of Hawker Pacific Asia Mr Tony Jones, RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow, RP Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin.

– Mr Tony Jones, Chief Operating Officer, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd

QBE Insurance (International)

SATS A third MOU was signed during the opening of The ARCH on 17 October 2012. This three-year MOU was signed by President and CEO of SATS Ltd Mr Tan Chuan Lye and RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow.

In July 2012, QBE Insurance (International) Limited made a donation of S$162,000 to RP through their strategic charity partner, MILK Fund. With this donation, the QBE-MILK Scholarship fund was set up to help finance needy students’ tuition fees.

QBE staff, RP students, and residents from Sunlove Home at Gardens by the Bay.

In total, 13 RP students from Year 2 and Year 3 were selected as recipients of the QBE-MILK Scholarship in 2012. In addition to financial support, the students were also given an opportunity to give back to the community.

Together with QBE Singapore branch employees, the scholarship recipients organised an excursion and brought 50 residents from the Sunlove Home to Gardens by the Bay on 1 December 2012.

QBE Insurance Group is an Australian listed company and is one of the top 20 largest general insurers in the world (as measured by net earned premium).

As an industry leader with 126-year history of proven performances, QBE has operations in 52 countries with over 16,000 staff worldwide.

We are very proud to be collaborating with Republic Polytechnic on the development of skills and mentorship....

Building on past collaborative efforts, SATS and RP will strengthen the partnership in creating more opportunities for joint research and short work stints for RP students to gain work experience.

With 60 years of experience, SATS is a leading integrated service provider of gateway services and food solutions in the region.

(L-R): Senior VP Human Capital of SATS Ms Lilian Tan, President & CEO of SATS Mr Tan Chuan Lye, RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow, RP Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin.

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inConversation

inFocus

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A Day in the Life of…

One of Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) old guards, incoRPorate catches up with Mr Warren Wang as he assumed his new role as Director of Centre for Enterprise and Communication (CEC).

Q: CEC is a newly-merged Centre under your charge. What are some of the goals you want to achieve with the Centre?

A: My immediate goal is to communicate a common vision for

the centre and have all staff share that same vision. The vision is to offer a unique education experience for our students, by providing them an interesting learning platform and multidisciplinary skill sets, so that they are equipped to confidently value add to the industry.

Q: Recently, Channel NewsAsia filmed you for “A Day in the Life of…” . Tell us your experience.

A: I was very nervous days before the

filming but I kept telling myself that this is not about me but a great opportunity to showcase to the community what RP is about and what a great campus and programmes we have in the area of market research.

Q: How will CEC better serve the students and industry needs?

A: Through our combined strength and facilities such as the

Market Research Lab and Media Lab, we are in a better position to provide an integrated support system to the industry by leveraging our capabilities in market research, entrepreneurship, public relations, and marketing communication.

For the students, we ensure that our curriculum stays relevant with changes in technologies and industry. One of the ways CEC has done this is by incorporating elements of social media in the three diploma programmes.

Q: How is this new role different from your past role as the Director for Office of Technology Development?

A: The role of a director of an academic centre is very different

from that of a corporate office. Now, I get to interact directly with students, parents, and the industry. There are also daily issues pertaining to staff and students, which I need to deal with quickly. The new role also offers me great opportunities to explore and implement new initiatives, leveraging my experience in the corporate departments. It is definitely more exciting and challenging for me.

Q: You have been with RP since its inception. What keeps you going?

A: I was the 14th employee when I joined RP in 2002. As a new

polytechnic, there were many things we needed to do to establish our branding and recognition from the community.

I was very glad to be given opportunities to contribute to the growth of RP by implementing many innovative processes and technologies which has made RP a truly forward-looking organisation.

Collaborating

With that in mind, we executed the filming with much ease, not forgetting the great support given by my colleagues. Looking back, I actually quite enjoyed the whole process and had great fun!

for Innovation

Q: If given a chance to be someone for a day, who will that be and why?

Open innovation and collaboration can provide organisations with access to a wider variety of expertise and resources to improve existing products and create new ones.

A: I would like to be my father so

that I can understand the life he has gone through while he was young and how he overcame those challenges.

That would certainly provide much inspiration for me. I would value and learn from those experiences and share them with my kids.

Q: What is your greatest achievement thus far?

A: Being part of the RP pioneering

team to build an institution from almost nothing and with no prior model to follow. We sought to do things differently from the start and built a uniquely different institution.

About Warren Wang

R

epublic Polytechnic (RP) hosted a technology forum titled “Open Innovation and Open Collaboration” on 7 September 2012 that brought together 400 academics and business leaders from relevant industries to share the latest technology trends, insights, and best practices. As part of RP’s 10th anniversary celebrations, the technology yearbook “REINVENT” was launched to mark a decade of innovation.

While the idea of sharing innovation between companies and competitors may run contrary to business intelligence, open innovation and collaboration allows businesses to access a wider variety of expertise and resources to accelerate time-tomarket and save on R&D costs in today’s fast-evolving economy.

“Open Innovation and Open Collaboration” focused on how open innovation and collaboration can result in knowledge exchange.

In his welcome address, Mr Yeo Li Pheow, RP Principal/CEO said, “It is through these technology events that we hope to create a platform of exchange to bring about greater understanding and collaboration among industry players, government agencies and institutes of higher learning.”

Building competitive advantage Besides contributing to new developments in research, open innovation can give small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to enter new markets.

Warren graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering and subsequently obtained his Master of Business Administration in 1995 from the same university. He is one of the pioneer team members, who steered RP to an institution recognised for its Problem-Based Learning approach and paperless processes.

“For SMEs, open innovation is one way for them to overcome their resource limitations and still build up their innovation expertise,” said Guest-of-Honour, Mr Png Cheong Boon, SPRING Singapore’s Chief Executive.

Some of the technologies Warren has successfully implemented for RP are the wireless projector system, wireless voice over IP telephony system, and interactive content management system. He also spearheaded the quality initiatives and led RP to be certified in various quality standards such as the Singapore Quality Class, Singapore Innovation Class, QEHS, and BCM TR-19.

With the elimination of traditional boundaries, companies can import higher quality ideas from other sources and innovate

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inFocus

inFocus Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) is one company that has engaged its customers through crowdsourcing methods to strengthen its information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities.

RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow (L) presenting a token of appreciation to Guest-ofHonour Mr Png Cheong Boon.

The memento is a high performance silk fabric created using Republic Polytechnic’s Composites Engineering Laboratory (a joint laboratory between Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd) which are harvested from RP’s Advanced Bombyx Mori silkworm cocoons.

faster than if they were independently inventing their own.

Doing this enables organisations to develop a competitive advantage.

Taiwan is an example of a country that is using open innovation and collaboration to increase competitiveness.

In his keynote address, Mr Stephen Su, General Director of Industrial Economics & Knowledge Centre in Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), shared how collaborative public-private partnerships have helped Taiwan’s economy reduce its reliance on labour-intensive manufacturing and move into high-tech innovation.

“A focus on innovation is key to economic growth. We aim to raise the quality of the innovations being developed in Taiwan.

Technology has to be competitive enough so that consumers are willing to pay for it. To do so, we must strengthen our industrial clusters and focus on international collaboration,” said Mr Su. Taiwan’s government has established more than 70 industrial clusters to date. As magnets for high-tech industries and manpower, these science parks have been successful in bringing research organisations and businesses together with the purpose of fostering innovation and collaboration.

Co-creating with consumers In reality, even the best invention will be a market failure if it does not meet the needs of the customers. To ensure that customer needs are met, companies can involve users by inviting them to suggest ideas for innovative products and services.

of their work day on a hobby or a pet project of their choice – the only requirement being that they have to share their new ideas or discoveries with colleagues.

“With the ever increasing influence of social media, we recognise the need to work together with like-minded and innovative customers to stay competitive,” said Mr Lee Kai Hock, SingTel’s Vice President of Business Marketing. “This is why we started transforming the ICT ecosystem in SingTel.”

In addition, 3M also started the Genesis Grant, which provides funding support for employees to conduct independent research, product development and test marketing in areas of emerging technology. After securing seed capital, employees must recruit and assemble a venture team to develop the product.

Instead of relying only on its internal ICT capabilities, the company launched the SingTel Innovation Exchange (SiX) to involve external solution developers and technology providers in the development process.

“It is important to empower employees by giving them the freedom to make mistakes. A critical management kills initiative.

We need people with initiative in order to grow the company,” explained Dr Zin.

Through this programme, developers can collaborate with other partners in the ecosystem to accelerate application development and reach out to consumers and businesses at a faster pace.

Partnering for value

“With our reach to millions of mobile subscribers and businesses, SingTel is positioned to enable software developers to seize opportunities in Singapore and the region. We will provide insights to help them bring their solutions to the market faster. This creates a win-win solution for all parties,” said Mr Lee. Cultural shift Unsurprisingly, success in open innovation and collaboration requires significant culture changes across an organisation.

Companies need to overcome the “not invented here” mindset and welcome ideas from outside their own organisations.

Top management buy-in is essential if the organisation is to embrace a more collaborative culture. For open innovation to become a personal priority for all employees, leaders must set a clear strategy and communicate their vision effectively.

This approach is shared by RP and has played an important part in enabling students and staff at RP to deliver breakthrough innovations for the community.

For example, Dr Willy Tan, a senior academic staff from RP School of Applied Science, worked together with National University of Singapore researchers to develop an enhanced silk fabric. The enhanced silk, which is stronger than ordinary silk and lighter than current synthetic materials, can be used to make bulletproof vests and lightweight airplane body parts.

As culture takes time to build, organisations must take action to ensure that the collaborative culture stays. Besides embedding values that support open innovation, management must also drive change via reward and performance management strategies.

sustainability, to supply chain management and productivity, and health, wellness and nutrition. Organisations can leverage RP’s expertise, knowledge and innovation capabilities to increase their rate of innovation, differentiate themselves, and achieve cost savings.

“Public research agencies and knowledge institutions such as universities, polytechnics and research institutes serve as good partners and enablers for open innovation and to drive collaboration between companies within and across industries,” said Guest-of-Honour Mr Png. Industry collaboration In conjunction with the forum, RP signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with local and overseas partners, including ST Kinetics, Sierra Solutions, Par International Holdings, Meiban International and Certis Cisco Security.

Through seminars, student attachment programmes and staff R&D projects, these agreements will create synergies as the respective organisations share ideas, knowledge and resources.

In addition, RP also signed an MOU with FLUKE South East Asia to establish a joint laboratory. The RP-FLUKE Energy Audits Lab will serve as an academic laboratory for students in the Diploma in Renewable Energy Engineering programme and support collaboration projects in the area of energy management and audit.

With state-of-the-art laboratories, RP is well-equipped to support R&D in areas ranging from environment and

Our Valued Partners

Meiban International Pte Ltd

“Leadership plays a key role in championing policies and initiatives that encourage employees to innovate relentlessly,” said Dr Melvin Zin, Head of 3M’s Corporate Research Laboratory for Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Sierra Solutions Pte Ltd PAR International Holdings Pte Ltd

“Organisations will also need to be open minded to celebrate successes and be ready to reward creativity,” said Ms Rosina Wickart, Senior Director of Procurement for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products in Asia Pacific.

FLUKE South East Asia Pte Ltd

Encouraging curiosity and innovation Ranked as the third most innovative company in the world by the 2011 Booz and Company Global Innovation Study, Dr Zin attributes 3M’s innovation success to its strong culture of risk taking, high tolerance for failure, and rewards for achievement.

At the core of 3M’s innovation strategy are practices such as its “15 per cent rule” which allows researchers to spend 15 per cent

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Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd

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inFocus

inNovation

To date, students and staff from RP School of Engineering have worked together with FLUKE to assess the indoor air quality in Ren Ci Community Hospital and develop software to compute energy saving costs in a building.

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Firefly Explorer Backpack

A

“These projects have a wide range of applications, which can help businesses to increase energy efficiency,” noted Dr Wang Jianguo, Director of RP School of Engineering. “The establishment of the RP-FLUKE Energy Audit Lab is a timely initiative. Through this lab, we look forward to many meaningful contributions to the industry.”

n idea that was mooted by a research team from Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Sports, Health and Leisure back in 2009 is now being produced and sold islandwide. The ergonomic backpack, named Firefly Explorer, was developed with the aim of helping primary school children to better manage their heavy school bags.

It is a rising health concern for young children between seven and nine years old to be carrying heavy and oversized backpacks to schools. With their small physiques, not only are they more susceptible to developing back problems, many parents are also worried that the heavy pressure may hinder the children’s growth in height.

Mind-Powered Lucky Draw

Supported by the Ministry of Education Innovation Fund Grant, the research team from RP developed a prototype and tested it against conventional ergonomic backpacks for its efficacy. The prototype was then refined and enhanced during each testing phase to further improve its design.

In what is believed to be a world’s first, a lucky draw was conducted during the Technology Forum using a braincontrolled automation system. The brain-controlled lucky draw system uses brain signal power to trigger a random number selection application.

“Existing ergonomic school backpacks are costly and a dearth of research is available on the efficacy of these backpacks. The Firefly Explorer is priced reasonably and more importantly, it has gone through rigorous research and evaluation in ensuring that its design is based on our local school children’s physiques and needs,” said Dr Alex Ong, part of the research team in RP.

During the lucky draw, as the random number application runs, the user will imagine motor activities such as push or pull to stop the running numbers. When the brainpower exceeds its threshold, the random number system will be triggered, and reveals the lucky number.

Through a collaboration with Nexwav, a company that constantly sources for innovative and functional products and solutions, the Firefly Explorer was successfully commercialised and brought to

RP is looking into using the same methodology to develop game system for the elderly, handicapped, or people

with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A Warm Reception Visitors were greeted with a pleasant surprise at RP Technology Forum 2012. Upon registration, visitors were given a lanyard namecard that was “secretly embedded” with an RFID tag containing the visitor’s name and the organisation he/she represents.

As visitors entered the exhibition hall, they passed through the main gantry where an RFID reader was hidden, and a customised welcome message was displayed on the screen.

the mass market in November 2012. Available in four vibrant colours, they are currently retailed at S$99.90 and can be found at all POPULAR Bookstores, Kiddy Palace as well as school bookshops.

On the potential of bringing the Firefly Explorer to the market, Ms Quah Lam Ann, Director of Nexwav International Pte Ltd said, “Ergonomic backpack is one of our company’s focuses. The demand for ergonomic backpack is on the rise. There are few research studies done on ergonomic backpacks in Asia, and since this research focuses on students in Asia as test subjects, we feel that these backpacks will be very relevant to the growing market.”

Ms Quah further shared that one of the challenges faced during the manufacturing of the Firefly Explorer was producing the uniquely thick lumber cushion for the backpack and ensuring that the backpack is of high quality standard while keeping the cost low for the mass market.

“It helps when we work with an established institution like RP, who has the expertise, resources and passion to make this project a success. These allow for a mutually beneficial partnership,” she added.

The Firefly Explorer has set its goals to go regional. In the meantime, Nexwave will gather feedback from distributors and customers and further enhance the product.

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inCelebration

inCelebration

The ARCH – RP’s New Purpose-Built Hangar

Best Education Experience Award

I

mpressing judges with its holistic and reality-pegged curriculum, RP School of Hospitality claimed the Best Education Experience (Tourism and Hospitality) award at the fourth Singapore Experience Awards on 15 October 2012.

Organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the Award Ceremony is held annually to honour the most outstanding individuals and organisations across all tourism-related industries.

R

epublic Polytechnic’s (RP) aerospace and aviation students have every reason to celebrate with a hangar, modeled after a real aircraft hangar facility, built right on campus. The new training facility houses a Polaris Amphibian recreational aircraft, a Jabiru-120, and the newly-acquired six-seater Learjet 35 and gives RP students an opportunity to acquire hands-on experience working with fully functional aircrafts.

Named The ARCH, abbreviated for The AeRospaCe Hub, the hangar was officially opened on 17 October 2012 by Guestof-Honour Mr Lee Hsien Yang, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Mr Richard Seow, Chairman of RP’s Board of Governors, Mr Yeo Li Pheow, RP Principal/CEO, and Dr Wang Jianguo, Director of RP School of Engineering.

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During the opening, RP also signed Memoranda of Understanding with global aerospace industry leaders Diethelm Keller Aviation Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd, and SATS Ltd. These partnerships create more opportunities for the partners and RP in bringing the aerospace industry to greater heights.

The ARCH further enhances RP’s aerospace programme capabilities.

“The ARCH further enhances RP’s aerospace programme capabilities,” said RP Principal/CEO Mr Yeo. The facility aims to help meet the growing demand for skilled manpower in the aerospace industry and strengthen Singapore’s position as an aviation hub. Indeed, the 1,500-square-metre hangar has all the facilities typically found in an actual industry aircraft hangar, including aircraft sheet metal repair, composite repair, and non-destructive testing, and individual workshops.

– Mr Yeo Li Pheow, Principal/CEO, Republic Polytechnic

For education, STB renamed the award, previously known only as Best Education Experience, this year to place a greater focus on tourism and hospitality courses and the integral role that education providers play in establishing a talent base in the relevant industries. Vying for the renamed award with RP were two other finalists, Temasek Polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education College West.

For an institution that only started offering hospitality-related courses four years ago, clinching Best Education Experience (Tourism and Hospitality) is truly a remarkable feat. Apart from having a team of highly experienced academic staff, RP School of Hospitality also comes with training facilities that mimic the real working environment, all in the hope of boosting the quality of its graduates.

Director of RP School of Hospitality Mr Albert Toh (L) receiving the award for Best Education Experience (Tourism and Hospitality).

Singapore Olympic Academy Roll of Honour

O

n 14 November 2012, Ms Goy Soon Lan, Director of RP School of Sports, Health and Leisure, was awarded the Singapore Olympic Academy 2012 Roll of Honour. The award is in recognition of her significant contributions towards sports in Singapore.

Winner of Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes Social Enterprise Challenge

A

fter a six-month project implementation, the team from RP emerged top at the Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes Social Enterprise Challenge on 13 October 2012.

The winning team comprises students from RP School of Engineering, School of Infocomm, School of Hospitality, and School of Sports, Health and Leisure. This project started with the team winning a seed fund of $6,000 to execute their business proposal and grow the social enterprise business “MOSES” for Simei Care Centre.

Having been named the Singapore Women’s Weekly Great Women of our Times in 2011, Ms Goy was “pleasantly surprised and humbled” by this award. She feels that she is merely doing her part to raise sports professionalism, and sportsmanship.

Ms Goy’s involvement in sports has made her the person she is today and she believes that sports education is a wonderful platform for the immersion of values, building of character and promoting fair play.

Ms Goy was presented the award by Mr Ng Ser Miang, International Olympic Committee Vice-President and Chairman of the Singapore Olympic Academy Board of Governors.

“The professional teaching staff can share their rich experience with students and create opportunities for further learning via industry practicum with industry partners. The School also has facilities such as a training restaurant and spa labs, providing practical learning venues for the students,” said Mr Albert Toh, Director of RP School of Hospitality.

Director of RP School of Sports, Health and Leisure Ms Goy Soon Lan (L) and International Olympic Committee Vice-President and Chairman of the Singapore Olympic Academy Board of Governors Mr Ng Ser Miang (R).

Mentored by Mr Philip Ng, CEO of Far East Organization, the team planned and executed various strategies to help “MOSES” grow its corporate/wedding souvenir business and awareness,

CEO of Far East Organization Mr Philip Ng (L) with the team from RP.

thereby creating more job opportunities for the beneficiaries of Simei Care Centre.

Speaking about the competition, team leader Haryanti Kang, a current Year 2 student in the Diploma in Supply Chain Management said, “This is actually a very good platform for us to enhance what we have learnt and at the same time, do something meaningful for the community.”

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inCelebration

Back to the 80s – Partners Appreciation Nite

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t Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) annual Partners Appreciation Nite on 31 October 2012, about 400 distinguished guests, RP’s Board of Governors, advisory committee members, management, and staff were momentarily brought back to the past as they relived the sights and sounds of a typical Singapore hawker centre in the 1980s.

For only one evening, the event venue, The Republic Cultural Centre was filled with traditional pushcarts and atap stalls that served authentic local hawker food and beverage such as rojak, Hainanese chicken rice, satay, kacang puteh, ting ting candy, teh tarik, and many more. Games corners were set up for guests to relish the good old childhood games of five stones, aeroplane chess, hopscotch, and chapteh.

As part of RP’s 10th anniversary celebrations, RP re-staged the first Singapore musical “Makanplace” during Partners Appreciation Nite to an almost full-house audience. The musical was a joint effort by RP staff, students, and alumni who dedicated six months of hard work in delivering a highly entertaining performance.

Gracing the event was Guest-of-Honour President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who gave moral support to the cast and crew of “Makanplace” by going backstage to interact with them before the musical started.

The Partners Appreciation Nite is organised exclusively for valued industry partners of RP in appreciation of their continued support and partnership in education.

ACE Your Career ACE@RP is the continuing education and training arm of Republic Polytechnic (RP). We promote lifelong learning amongst working adults so that they can remain valuable participants in a knowledge-based economy. ACE@RP offers various academic and executive programmes for aspiring professionals.

You can now choose from the CET programmes that we offer to aid you in your plans for academic upgrading and career progression.

SM E s app ponso r lica nts ed enjo y sub sidy *

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CET Diploma Programmes

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Specialist Diploma in Applied Learning and Teaching

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Specialist Diploma in Mobile Applications

April & October 2013

Part-time Diploma in Engineering (Operations and Engineering Management)

April & October 2013

Part-time Diploma in Business Practice (Hospitality Management)

April & October 2013

Part-time Diploma in Infocomm and Digital Media (Information Systems)

April & October 2013

Part-time Diploma in Sports (Coaching)

April & October 2013

* Applicable to CET Diploma Programmes only. Terms & Conditions apply.

Problem-Based Learning: Who, What, Why and How Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a learner-centred approach that focuses on helping you acquire knowledge, skills and critical thinking ability through a dynamic learning process.

The objective of the workshop is to help you understand and apply the principles and methods of PBL in your coursework. You will learn to evaluate your teaching perspectives as educators, develop strategies for facilitating learning, use problems as triggers for learning, as well as understand how to conduct holistic assessments.

March & June 2013

WSQ Technical Theatre Apprenticeship Programme Technical Theatre (Stagecraft) Technical Theatre (Sound) Technical Theatre (Lighting)

ACADEMY FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION @RP Tel 6697 1699 Email ACE@rp.edu.sg Web www.rp.edu.sg/ace

March/April 2013

Partnering Republic Polytechnic RP seeks to work with the industry in the following areas: • • •

Republic Polytechnic (RP) has over 14,000 students and about 1,000 full-time staff, with six schools and two academic centres offering 37 courses in Infocomm Technology, Engineering, Applied Science, Technology for the Arts, Sports, Health & Leisure, Hospitality, Enterprise, and Communication.

The first educational institution in Singapore to leverage Problem-Based Learning approach, RP is committed to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurial learning in an environment that develops problem-solving process skills and a lifelong learning attitude. RP’s academic staff come with years of industry and research experience that enhances the students’ learning in practicality and depth.

• • • •

Internship Programmes Employment Services (Career Fair, Career Talk) Giving to RP (Scholarships, Endowment, Book Prize Awards) Research & Development Projects Innovation Voucher Scheme Corporate Training Other Forms of Collaboration

Discover how RP can help meet your organisation’s needs in talent management and planning, corporate philanthropy, research and consultancy projects.

To know more, please contact one-stop@rp.edu.sg More information can also be found at www.rp.edu.sg/industrycollaboration

RP’s mandate is to nurture skilled manpower for the economy. While RP develops industry-ready and lifeready graduates through industry-focused curriculum, synergistic partnership with the industry is also instrumental in nurturing innovation, entrepreneurial learning, professional and technical competency among the staff and student community.

inAdvance Republic Polytechnic looks forward to your participation in the upcoming events.

For enquiries, please email one-stop@rp.edu.sg YEAR 2013 3 Apr 1 – 2 Mar 12, 15, 16 Apr 22 Apr 28 – 30 May

RP-Razer The Next Big Craze RP School of Technology for the Arts Graduation Showcase 2013: Symbiosis RP Orientation Programme Official Opening of Centre of Innovation for Supply Chain Management RP Graduation Ceremony