incoRPorate - Issue 3 / 2011

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Published for industry partners of Republic Polytechnic

inFocus School of Technology for the Arts

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inConversation Yours simply, Albert.

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inNovation 12 Gluten-free Cakes Tracking Made Easy

2011 Issue No. 3

inReality 13 Internship with Resorts World Sentosa

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Editor’s Message

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n conjunction with our branding campaign, Republic Polytechnic (RP) launched our enhanced logo on 29 July 2011.

You will probably notice the current RP logo on this issue’s cover page. We invite our stakeholders to truly experience the RP brand and new tagline – Discover, Transform, Achieve.

For our students, they discover their true potential at RP, transform to successful individuals, and achieve their goals in life. For partners, you will discover the capabilities that we have to transform your business challenges to workable solutions, and achieve greater business success.

Created by: Juraimi Jumahat

School of Technology for the Arts. See page 7.

Features inPartnership

inCelebration Two In A Row Portal Gets Top Prize RP With Full PAM Capability inFocus School of Technology for the Arts inConversation Yours simply, Albert. inNovation Gluten-free Cakes Tracking Made Easy InReality Internship with Resorts World Sentosa inProfile Marketing with $0

Adviser Seto Lok Yin Editor-in-Chief Ronald Wong

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In this issue, we focus on Singapore’s creative industries - alive and well in Singapore for decades, but recently revitalised by our nation’s growing global status and thriving economy.

Singapore has both the motivation and the means to take its creative arts scene to the next level. At RP, the School of Technology for the Arts champions the building of creative capital through education.

We also pay tribute to the sponsors of our annual Academic Awards Ceremony. More than 300 students have benefitted from your kind contribution. My deepest appreciation and gratitude, thank you!

Enjoy reading!

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Ronald Wong

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

Editors Josephine Teo • Joey Tang Writers Marinne Santiago • Ronnie Ying Karsten Cramer Design L’arc-en-ciel Creatives

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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.

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inPartnership

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Republic Polytechnic is heartened to have the following sponsors with us in championing education.

Your generous contributions have benefitted 310 students. Thank you!

Advent2 Labs Agathos Solutions Pte Ltd Air Line Pilots Association Singapore (ALPA-S) Anbros Industries (S) Pte Ltd Avotron Pte Ltd Baxter Healthcare SA, Singapore Branch BES Technology Bestair Aeronautical Pte Ltd Bluestone Corporation Pte Ltd BMC Software Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Bonda Technology Pte Ltd Camelot Pte Ltd Crest Technology Pte Ltd Daisy Phay Foundation DHL Express (Singapore) Pte Ltd Enterprise Sports Group Pte Ltd EON Reality Pte Ltd F1 Recreation Pte Ltd Fairmont Singapore Genesis 21 Pte Ltd GKE Warehousing & Logistics Pte Ltd Global Foundries Singapore Gold Lite Pte Ltd Heidelberg Asia Pte Ltd Hong Chek Company (Pte) Ltd Hoyu Singapore Pte Ltd HRMS Consulting Pte Ltd IBM Singapore Pte Ltd I-Net Solutions Pte Ltd Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd iNOVA Microsystems Pte Ltd InterAktiv Technology Pte Ltd ITS Science & Medical Pte Ltd Keppel FMO Pte Ltd

KhattarWong h Knowledge Trail Learning Centre Kowa Lab Engineering Pte Ltd Lin Jo Yan Scholarship Fund Logicom Instruments Pte Ltd Luxasia Pte Ltd Mandarin Orchard Singapore Marina Bay Sands Materials Research Society Singapore Metrohm Singapore Pte Ltd MKS Instruments (S) Pte Ltd Motorola Foundation Nanofilm Technologies International Pte Ltd Nanyang Equipment Pte Ltd NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd NSL OilChem Services Pte Ltd OPUS IT Services Pte Ltd ORIGIN Exterminators Pte Ltd ORIGIN Scientia Pte Ltd Outward Bound Singapore Pesi B Davar Memorial Scholarship Fund Peter Lee Orthopaedic Pte Ltd Pico Art International Pte Ltd Proage Proaktiv Systems Pte Ltd Reflex Packaging (S) Pte Ltd Rehab Asia Resorts World Sentosa Roche Diagnostics Pte Ltd Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc SAP Asia Pte Ltd SAS Institute Pte Ltd Scandinavian Women’s Association

Sembcorp Industries Ltd Shaw Foundation Siddhartha Centre Sierra Solutions Pte Ltd Singapore Association of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (SAICSA) Singapore Chemical Industry Council Ltd Singapore Karate-Do Federation Singapore Logistics Association Singapore Physical Education Association Singapore Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology Singapore Sports Council SMITECH (Asia) Pte Ltd Snap-on Tools (S) Pte Ltd Sony Singapore Spirent Communications (Asia) Ltd Swissotel The Stamford Singapore Synopsys (S) Pte Ltd Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Tan Joo Kee Scholarship Fund Teleperformance Singapore Teltec Semiconductor Pacific (S) Pte Ltd Times Software Pte Ltd TLG Technology Pte Ltd Toh Kian Chui Foundation United BMEC Pte Ltd V3 Teletech Pte Ltd Verite Productions Pte Ltd Woodlands Family Clinic World Courier Singapore Pte Ltd Xmicro Solution Pte Ltd Yang g Kee Logistics g Pte Ltd

Thank you

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Sowing the Seeds with NParks For the last three years, RP has had a fruitful relationship with the National Parks Board (NParks). The cooperation between the two organisations kicked off in 2008 with the adoption of Admiralty Park and has, to date, seen no less than 11 projects.

The partnership has blossomed over the years with RP engaging NParks in areas ranging from curriculum advisory to internships and research projects with the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology.

(L-R): Assistant Chief Executive Officer of NParks Mr Kong Yit San, Chief Executive Officer of NParks Mr Poon Hong Yuen, RP’s Principal/ CEO Mr Yeo Li Pheow, and RP’s Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin.

To further the mutual interests of RP and NParks, a Letter of Understanding was signed on 18 August 2011 with the aim of building curriculum and knowledge enhancement through joint research and development.

RP-BASF Engagement The second annual Pharmaceutical Technology Seminar, jointly organised by BASF, Thermo Scientific and RP, was held from 15 to 16 June 2011. The two-day seminar themed ‘ExActMelt+: Discover Hot-Melt-Extrusion’ went into depth on the Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) technology, a processing technique with pharmaceutical applications in drug delivery systems.

(L-R): Regional Head Regional Business Management Pharma Ingredients and Services of BASF Mr Thomas Pilgram, Vice President (Nutrition and Health) of Asia Pacific BASF Mr Tony Wu Xiaodong, RP’s Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin, Director of RP Office of Technology Development Mr Warren Wang.

During the seminar, BASF signed an MOU with RP to renew their joint lab agreement which started in 2008. Reiterating on the importance of industry relevance, Mr Seto Lok Yin, RP’s Deputy Principal (Industry Services) said, “We believe that a polytechnic must be strongly engaged with industry. This must be our approach if we are to nurture industry-relevant and industry-ready graduates.”

Joint Effort to Enhance Learning RP, together with Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Foundation, will work with Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration (MoMT) to start a programme that will aid Indonesia’s vocation training system to meet the challenges of today’s economy.

(L-R): Principal of Singapore Polytechnic Mr Tan Hang Cheong, RP’s Deputy Principal (Industry Services) Mr Seto Lok Yin, Singapore’s Ambassador to Indonesia H.E. Mr Ashok Mirpuri, CEO of Temasek Foundation Mr Benedict Cheong, Director (Programmes and Partnership) of Temasek Foundation Mr Stanley Lee.

The aim of this agreement is to enhance the capabilities of 110 MoMT’s policy-makers and senior staff from 11 Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) in Indonesia. While all will receive training to specialist level, 50 of these 110 participants will also be trained to become Master Specialist Trainers who will in turn train another 150 participants from 30 VTCs. “The target of this joint programme is to achieve modern and professional VTCs in Indonesia, which will then be able to fulfill the demand of industrialskilled manpower and contribute to increasing working opportunities and also in improving the competitiveness of human resources in Indonesia,” commented Mr Abdul Wahab Bangkona, Director General of Training and Productivity Development, MoMT Indonesia.

This cross-border academic exchange will be a valuable experience for both Singapore and Indonesia as we all seek to improve our learning environments.

– Mr Seto Lok Yin, Deputy Principal (Industry Services), Republic Polytechnic

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inCelebration

Two In A Row

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epublic Polytechnic (RP) sent eight teams to this year’s Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ competition. One of them, from the School of Engineering’s Diploma of Biomedical Electronics programme, won the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ Award in 2011 for the second consecutive year.

The project’s brain control system allows individuals who are paralysed or have severe motor disabilities to control their wheelchair by processing brain signals through an iPhone, which then directs corresponding commands to the wheelchair.

The team behind the iPhone-ba iPhone-based based brain control system.

About the successive win, Dr Jiang Lijun, RP’s Technology Development Centre Manager for Wireless Technology, said, “I feel especially proud this time because it is a 100 per cent effort on the part of RP, whereas last year was a joint effort with A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research).” This year’s winning project is essentially a streamlined, more portable and affordable version of the previous year’s. The wheelchair was substituted with a toy car and a computer was used rather an iPhone.

Portal Gets Top Prize RP With Full PAM Capability Avid Production Asset Management (PAM) system allows students to multi-task.

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P School of Information and Communications Technology is the first school in Singapore to offer a full Avid PAM learning facility. Its aim? To ensure that the Diploma in Interactive and Digital Media programme offers students an industryrealistic education apart from equipping them with the skills to work effectively in the video and post-production industry.

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he Oracle ThinkQuest International Competition is an annual event that challenges students to solve a problem using their critical thinking, communication, and technology skills. This year, RP sent a team comprising five students from the School of Information and Communications Technology.

Their entry, called the Balang Community Portal (http://compete. sit.rp.edu.sg:8080/user/main/), clinched the top prize under the Applications Development category. Balang is a poverty-stricken commune in Cambodia. The portal connects and inspires people to get involved in the Balang community. It provides information about Balang’s history, volunteer opportunities, and a conduit for collecting donations. The portal also has an e-commerce component enabling the community to sell their handicraft.

The five students worked on the project during their final year before graduating in May 2011. “The opportunity to see the students working collaboratively and bridging the cultural divide to help the poor in the Balang community was a great experience,” said Ms Grace Yap, senior academic staff at RP School of Information and Communications Technology, who coached the team. The students each won a laptop computer and a trip to the United States, while the school received US$5,000 from the Oracle Foundation.

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Mr Ben Lee, lead facilitator of the programme, elaborated on how the facility evolved into using a full Avid PAM system. “In 2004, ystem,, editing e the school began with a localised storage system, with Apple Final Cut Pro. With projects now based on both SD and HD formats, the old system could not handle the demanding bandwidth and students experienced downtime and technical glitches. A PAM solution will allow students from different ure production teams to utilise this infrastructure for capturing, editing, checking in and out of files, etc. Avid offered such a solution.”

With a full Avid PAM system, workflow will be lves improved compared to a set-up which involves a third-party server management system riding on existing components.

Top: The Avid PAM system Bottom: Ben Lee

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Building Creative Capital Academic staff at Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Technology for the Arts are on a mission to see their students make it in the real world.

This article is contributed by RP School of Technology for the Arts.

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hings seem a little tense at RP School of Technology for the Arts. In fact, if you have run into any of its facilitators along the white-washed Zen-like corridors of the campus, they all appear to be slightly on edge. The reason? Mandatory internships have been introduced for all its third year students this academic year, sending facilitators into a flurry to score dozens of internship placements for their students.

“It was a daunting challenge,” says Ms Serene D’Cotta, facilitatorin-charge of the internship programme for the Diploma in New Media. “I had sleepless nights worrying about whether I could find enough positions for some 160 of our new media students.”

And so the story goes across all five of the School’s diplomas embarking on their maiden attempts to wean students off school and ease them into industry.

Fortunately, the initial apprehension and anxiety is fast wearing off as semester one’s internships went off without a hitch while semester two’s are steadily falling into place. “We placed our faith on our strong network and good relationship many of us have with industry players,” says Mr Lavanath Shanmugan, facilitator from the Diploma in Sonic Arts. “We exercised the trust we had earned from industry and lobbied hard to have our students hosted.”

High-Profile Quality Internships Whether it is via lobbying industry contacts, networking with and courting industry, by sheer force of will, RP School of Technology for the Arts has managed to secure dozens of high-profile, quality internships for its students. In all, some 150 students have already cut their teeth in industry with another 230 taking the plunge this coming semester.

The work placements range from prestigious stints at Dell, g y g in Hewlett Packard, OgilvyOne for students specialising

interaction or user experience design, to placements at LucasArts, Panasonic and DBS Bank for game design students, to attachments with the Asian Food Channel and Astro-funded productions like The Kitchen Musical for new media students.

Students from the Diploma in Technology and Arts Management also secured dream internships with Resorts World Sentosa, the Esplanade, and Asian Civilisations Museum, working in wardrobe and lighting to ticketing and marketing. Sonic arts students pulled off large-scale music and marketing events with the likes of Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes, among other companies.

“We were faced with a situation where some companies responded after we had placed all our students. This resulted in more placements than interns,” Lavanath happily attests.

Internships Are To Be Won. Not Given.

While staff opened doors to industry, that was just a first step.

Students soon discovered that internships are not an entitlement or a given. They are to be won. After scoping out the needs of our industry partners, students are shortlisted for interviews with companies that have the best fit. Often, aptitude was assessed based on that all-important creative portfolio.

“Our students are starting to see how a good portfolio and a well-articulated design process can get doors opened for them,” says Mr Hong Khai Seng, facilitator from the Diploma in Design for Interactivity. “No matter how many times we tell them to work on their portfolio, the industry’s feedback and response is always the best barometer.”

And nothing like a strong dose of reality to get students stepping out of their comfort zones and psyched for a career in the competitive creative industries. “We’re not training students in a vacuum. We’re priming them for the real world,” says Ms Lian Pek, Director of RP School of Technology for the Arts. “Internships are a dress rehearsal for the real thing. In the best-case scenario, the student is offered a job with the company they’re attached to. At the very least, they make industry contacts, figure out what industry is looking for. Plus, they can add another real-world project to their portfolios, so they can nab the next job that comes along, if not this one. ”

t Cai Game design studen (R). n kso Hin Des

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rts’ Lead Designer Biyuan (L), with LucasA

(Continued on page 10)

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inFocus

Art From The Heart Spreading the National Day spirit in the heartlands.

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oaring bamboo poles. A mighty red and white birthday cake. A garden full of Vanda Miss Joaquims. These are just some of the celebratory art installations created by secondary school students for the newly-launched Heartland Dressing contest jointly organised by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) and Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Technology for the Arts.

recyclable materials.

Staff and students also oversaw the creative process, from conceptualisation to fabrication and finish. The team from Jurongville Secondary walked away with $2,000 for its winning art installation entitled “The Beauty”.

The Heartland Dressing contest is the latest strand to be added to the annual City Colours contest designed to pay creative tribute to Singapore in the months leading up to National Day.

“Organising Heartland Dressing has given our students an exciting new mandate to inspire even younger Singaporeans to celebrate National Day in new, novel and meaningful ways,” adds Ms Lian Pek. “My heartfelt thanks go to MICA for entrusting us with this creative mission.”

The idea for this collaboration with MICA first came about after students from RP School of Technology for the Arts won second place in last year’s City Dressing competition with their “Tricycle Dreams” offering.

Fittingly, RP hosted both the City Colours and the Heartland Dressing award ceremonies days before National Day, 9 August.

“That first taste of dressing up Singapore gave us such a buzz that when MICA decided to open the competition to secondary schools this year, we jumped at the chance to spread the creativity,” said Ms Lian Pek, Director of RP School of Technology for the Arts.

To kick-start the contest, RP conducted a series of workshops for participating secondary schools on the experimental use of

Soaring bam

boo poles.

“The event has been a great success, setting a fun and memorable conclusion for all our participants under the City Colours and Heartland Dressing projects”, said Ms Kelly Ong, MICA’s Senior Manager, Resilience and Marketing Division.

“This would not have been possible without RP, who has been a great host, partner and supporter of both youth-driven projects this year. It was especially heartwarming to see both staff and students coming together as a team, with a common end goal in mind. That commitment, to me, is truly from the heart.”

A mig m hty red and white birth day cake.

Ag garden full of Vanda Miss Joaquims.

STA scores with audience Students from RP School of Technology for the Arts scored big in the City Colours category against other institutions of higher learning, winning the Best Online Audience Engagement award with their tongue-in-cheek interpretation of this year’s theme “Majulah – the Singapore Spirit!” Our installation featured an adorable futuristic red and white Singapore family happily pressing forward, with the cheeky Singlish exhortation, “Don’t Play Play – Onward Singapore!”

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RP’s RP’ RP ’s win winn wi inn in ning ing inst ing insta in stall allat alla latio tion iion n opp oppo o osit site sit ie Concorde Hotel on Orchard Road.

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Cooking Up A Hit Show Republic Polytechnic scores partnership in a multi-million dollar TV production.

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sia’s newest and hottest content development company The Group Entertainment was so enamored of Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) cuttingedge architecture and production capabilities, it decided to build the set for its latest television series, lock, stock and barrel, on the campus itself. Called “The Kitchen Musical”, the multi-million dollar production is touted as Asia’s answer to Glee but as the title suggests, the story here is about a bunch of chefs in a French restaurant and the entertaining shenanigans that go on in the kitchen.

“We are very proud to be involved in The Kitchen Musical as a film location and production partner,” says Mr Seto Lok Yin, RP’s Deputy Principal (Industry Services).

“Our School of Technology for the Arts has media production expertise while our School of Hospitality has the culinary capabilities to provide consultancy. This collaboration underscores what Republic Polytechnic is all about – we are always industry-tuned and industry-friendly.”

“RP isn’t just your usual academic institution. It is in sync and linked with the industry. This allowed us to leverage on an array of resources from production staff and students creating our behind-the-scenes documentary to kitchen training and consultancy,” says Mr CheeK, The Group Entertainment’s Head of Creative and The Kitchen Musical’s director.

Regional Exposure for Staff and Students Invaluable Real World Credits Beside being the film location for The Kitchen Musical, RP School of Technology for the Arts has also been commissioned

by The Group Entertainment to produce a 30-minute documentary on the making of the series. This will be aired alongside the 13-part music-dance-drama starting in October on AXN channel, on fo followed by M Malaysia’s Media Pr Prima channels, A AB ABS-CBN in the Ph Philippines and M Metro TV in In Indonesia. Guided by the facilitators, st students are also cr creating the new m media campaign fo for the TV series, m managing and cr creating ancillary co content on Facebook (h (http://www. fa facebook.com/ Th TheKitchenMusical) an and other social ne networks.

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Responding to industry needs is a key mandate. RP’s staff regularly attach themselves to industry by way of consultancies or special projects like this one to stay relevant. This ensures the curriculum is always aligned with the real world and optimised for pre-employment training. More importantly, students get to ride on the coattails of their teachers to build their portfolios and fill them with invaluable real world credits by the time they graduate.

“The Kitchen Musical is a serendipity for us,” says Ms Lian Pek, Director of RP School of Technology for the Arts. “Typically, we court industry hoping they will take on our student interns. But in this instance, industry came knocking. How often do schools get the chance to have their staff and students involved in a multi-million dollar international production? Not only do the students get a fantastic opportunity to build a good-looking portfolio which is crucial in snagging that first job, as a school we get blue-chip endorsement that we have what it takes to collaborate with and train for industry.”

And the creative partnership doesn’t end there. Talks are underway to have RP become a production partner for the theatrical version of the TV series slated for production next year.

This means more RP students and staff will now get their turn to produce and arts manage a top-notch stage production.

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inFocus

RP Gets In On The Money The Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) works with Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Technology for the Arts in its ongoing campaign to promote financial literacy among young adults.

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ew media students from RP School of Technology for the Arts were engaged to come up with a quirky online offering, leveraging social networks and online platforms to help DBS drive home its financial literacy message.

The result? A series of seven short, smart, and stylish videos that punch home key messages regarding financial literacy and planning – that all-important youthful trendiness and with edgy camera work, a cool soundtrack, and an industry-standard production quality.

“Young adults today have very different aspirations. Through such collaborations, we hope to embark on a lifelong journey with them that is more rewarding than simply providing conventional banking services,” says Mr Koh Cheng Hwee, Senior Vice President and Head of DBS Franchise, Consumer Banking.

“It has been an eye-opening experience working with Republic Polytechnic students on co-creating the videos. They were able to introduce financial literacy in a way that resonates with their peers and generate interest from young adults islandwide.”

“We are extremely pleased to be producing new media content for DBS. This is exactly the kind of work we train our students for,” says Ms Lian Pek, Director of RP School of Technology for the Arts. “Working on a real world project for Singapore’s largest bank has been a great learning opportunity for our students.

And for companies like DBS hoping to reach out to generation Y, who better to create content for young adults than their own kind?”

After extensive brainstorming, the team from RP School of Technology for the Arts story-boarded their concepts and presented them to the DBS team for feedback. Several rounds of invigorating conversations later, the team tweaked their plans and set about producing the work.

The videos are created in conjunction with the launch of DBS Remix at *SCAPE in Orchard Road, a bank branch specially designed for young adults. The content is being released gradually on the DBS Facebook page (www.facebook.com/dbs. youth). It is also featured in DBS Remix at *SCAPE. The feedback has been highly positive so far – a huge source of encouragement for the RP team who were right on the money w their creative approach. Most with i importantly, the client is pleased.

T They are now discussing with RP S School of Technology for the Arts t create digital games. No prizes to t though for guessing what sort of g games they are looking for!

(Continued from page 7)

Portfolio-Building is Top Priority Portfolio. Portfolio. Portfolio. That is the mantra at RP School of Technology for the Art Arts. ts. FFrom ro om th the he moment students come through the door, they are told, they are only as good as the their portfolio. h irr p orrtf tfo olio io o.

“You can have the best grades in the world but that may not necessarily translate in n the the he creative cre eativ ive Ca o ou ur industries,” adds Ms Lian Pek. “Employers want to see portfolios, first and foremost.. Can our allllin ing g ca card rd ds. s”” students create? Can they apply themselves? Portfolios, not transcripts are their calling cards. ons. TThe he w he orrkin o king Little surprise, the School has been relentless in its pursuit of industry collaborations. working ns, s, aass ccreative reativve e model is just like in industry. Facilitators are encouraged to lead such collaborations, e leading lea ead din ng tthe ng he ccharge, he harg ge, e directors or project leads, while their students partake as junior creatives. “Staff are o other othe er way, way ay,” ssays ays ay building portfolio by portfolio, student by student. It is painstaking but there is no u iinto ut ntto th the e re rreal al w al orld or ld. d Ms Lian Pek. “We have to give our students a fighting chance when they venture out world.

And the only way is by helping them build as much creative capital as possible.”

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inConversation

Yours simply, Albert.

From a dishwasher in his younger days to a hotelier who travelled the world, a self-made entrepreneur, incoRPorate catches up with Albert Toh, now a passionate educator and Director of Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Hospitality.

Q: How has the first half of the year been for you?

A: It’s been great. We got our new Quick Service Restaurant

operational and students are enjoying applying what they learnt. More importantly, the team is gelling well and we’ve made some good hires from SATS, SIA (Singapore Airlines), boutique hotels, ex-YOG (Youth Olympic Games) staff, and people from diverse backgrounds and around the world.

Q: Which aspect of the hospitality business do you like the most?

A: I like the creation part. By creation I mean we create an

experience through the many products within the stable of the brand(s). For example, when I was working for the Hard Rock Café, I had a secondary role as Production Manager for the many concerts we produced – Kenny G, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, BB King, and so forth. Out of nothing comes a total experience that involves lights, sound, accommodation, food, apparel and beyond.

Q: You have been invited to be a speaker at the Singapore Prestige Brand Award’s Branding Seminar 2011. What did you share with the audience?

A: I shared with them the concept of keeping things simple and

focused. It was an honest sharing of what I faced in industry and the challenges of always defining what your intent is.

Then going after it. I covered mainly the four areas of great branding: software, hardware, strategic alliances, debunking the frivolous product myth.

Q: RP recently launched its branding campaign. Has RP covered the four areas?

A: This is a loaded question. I’d have to say not yet. We’ve

covered it yes but we’ve not resolved or succeeded at the task yet. It’s always a long haul in education. We have the software for sure, the hardware as well, and we’re building the strategic alliances.

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The challenge is making sure the components work together to unleash the full potential of each other and in the process the brand.

Q: What can be done to ensure that RP’s branding campaign will be a success?

A: Three things really if you ask me. The

first basic assumption is that our product is ready to be branded which in our case is.

1. Build self-belief amongst all is the underpinning tenet.

2. Develop a strong internal communication systems.

3. We all need to be raving fans ourselves. We need to build raving fans of the stakeholders, of the people who can impact us.

There always is the fourth character just like in the 3 Musketeers. My fourth point would be the need for the greater good, which is about a greater responsibility to deliver more than is expected.

In short, the branding campaign cannot be just a campaign. It must be lived and breathed. It must be an innate response to all things. It must strive to deliver the promise of what education in RP brings and then the brand will get to speak for itself.

Q: On a lighter side of things – do you prefer fine food or hawker fare?

A: I, like any good Singaporean, will eat

anything except the furniture and stones. I am a fan of Mee Pok, plain and simple. That would be my last meal if I ever had to choose one.

About Albert Toh Albert’s vast experience includes 16 years in industry with Westin & Hyatt Hotels, and the Hard Rock Café in operations, sales and general management; and 13 years in education. He also spent three years with his family’s fine foods logistics business in Hong Kong and Singapore. Albert was involved in the “V at the Hard Rock” series during the 1990s in which he developed, expanded, and drove the business for the Hard Rock Café in Asia. He was responsible for the opening of the Hard Rock Café in Beijing at the time when rock music was not prevalent, and was the driving force to beam the event with BB King across the region.

Albert was part of three great hotel openings – The Westin Tabor Centre in Denver, The Westin Plaza and The Westin Stamford in Singapore. He also managed a total of about 28 restaurant openings in his career. He has a BSc from Brigham Young University, and a MBA from the University of Western Australia.

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inNovation

Gluten-free Cakes Creating a recipe to meet the rising demand of gluten-free products.

P

astry, bread and cakes are commonly made using wheat that contains gluten. People suffering from an allergy known as celiac disease are unable to consume such products. Hence, they need to find alternatives that will allow them to still enjoy the goodness of bakeries, but that are gluten-free.

Tracking Made Easy A software that allows small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to have the same tools as the ‘big boys’.

The collaboration between Polar Puffs and Cakes Pte Ltd and Republic Polytechnic (RP) aims to cater to the growing demand for high-quality gluten-free products, and satisfy the needs of consumers who are on a gluten-free diet.

Under the supervision of Polar’s staff and RP’s project supervisor Ms Betsy Ng, five final year students from RP School of Applied Science spent hours in the kitchen and food laboratory to formulate and finalise the recipe of the gluten-free cake. The result is a series of gluten-free cakes with four different flavours – raspberry, chocolate, mango, and black forest.

The success of this project has enabled Polar to break into the market for healthy food products. Consumers will soon be able to find these gluten-free cakes at Polar’s shelves.

Republic Polytechnic’s help has enabled Polar to breach the food science/ nutrition barrier. This is extremely beneficial for local small and medium enterprises who wish to increase their value in a market which has evolved to be savvier in consumption.

– Dr Jonathan Cheah, Chief Operating Officer, Polar Puffs and Cakes

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N

ow, with no hardware required and low start-up costs, SMEs in the logistics industry can have a software that will increase their productivity and competitiveness. The Cloud Transportation Visibility System is a programme aimed at providing a web-based system for companies to track delivery vehicles and their transactions.

A brainchild of Mr Friso Kluit, Technology Development Centre Manager for Open Source Technologies at RP, this system enables a user to allocate transactions and delivery vehicles, as well as provides analytics about transactions, fleet management and clients. The benefits to the company will come in the form of increased productivity while gaining a competitive edge.

How does it all work? Each driver is equipped with an Android smart phone, downloaded with Google Maps. Information such as delivery and routing information and even the speed of the vehicle are then sent and received in real time via the use of GPS-enabled communication devices.

Bearing cost-effectiveness in mind, Friso designed the programme with modular features so that companies can procure the system based on its specific needs. The system is undergoing trials with a local transport company.

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inReality

13

“I come in to work and have a ball of a time!”

The first batch of Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) School of Hospitality interns under the Theme Parks and Attractions Management Specialisation Track concludes stint.

“W

orking in a theme park has been a unique and eyeopening experience. While it is not for everyone, I cannot deny that it’s been the best thing that’s happened to me in my poly life and I love it,” said Jerome Chew, a student from the Diploma in Integrated Events Management.

“Initially I thought a theme park only consists of the F&B (Food and Beverage) and attractions departments. From this internship, I learnt that it takes much more than that to run a theme park,” echoed Jasmine Tan, from the Diploma in Customer Relationship and Service Management. Both Jerome and Jasmine are part of a group of six RP students who recently completed a six-month internship programme with Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

“This internship gave the students an insight into the business and operations of theme park and attraction industry. With the experiential learning stint, they will be better equipped with the knowledge and a superb platform for them to seek full-time employment in this industry after graduation,” said Ms Ong Yuin Ling, Programme Chair for Diploma in Integrated Events Management at RP School of Hospitality.

The six third-year students were alternated in various departments within Universal Studios Singapore and performed a variety of roles ranging from wardrobe to attractions and park services.

Their training duration minimally spanned a week and could last up to two months, depending on the nature of the job.

Mr Brian Machamer, Assistant Director of Park Operations, Universal Studios Singapore, observed that interns from RP stood out from those of other schools in terms of enthusiasm and dedication. He said, “The team from RP was always forthcoming with their feedback on how we could do things better and they gave their 110 per cent all the time.”

Of the lot, he was most impressed with Jerome, who, prior to the start of this stint, did research on Universal Studios and other theme parks, which Brian admitted “exceeded the call of duty for an intern”. It was no surprise then that Jerome was made a VIP tour guide, a rare occurrence for a non-permanent staff. The icing on the cake was the offer of a RWS bond-free scholarship worth $4,000. When asked how he would rate the quality of RP interns on a scale of one to 10, Brian said “10!”

Jasmine RP interns with Mr Brian Machamer (3rd from left) at Universal Studios Singapore.

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inProfile

Marketing with $0 incoRPorate talks to a marketeer turned teacher.

Q: Hi Sua Keong, what do you do at RP? A: I teach Marketing in RP (Republic Polytechnic). I specialise in

developing, communicating and delivering CET (Continuing Education and Training) programmes to adult learners, focused on Sales, Marketing, and Entrepreneurial skills.

Q: Can you tell us more about this new workshop ‘Marketing

with $0’ that you have designed?

A: The title itself is meant to attract the attention of enterprises.

How on earth could we market with $0?

Well, we are not talking about putting no investment in marketing; we are referring to effective marketing strategies that would yield maximum returns using existing or created resources.

Q: Can you give an application of Marketing

with $0 that we can understand?

A: There are many applications of that in our

daily lives. A family service provider once conducted a lunchtime talk at RP on how to communicate with teenagers. It was a free education to RP staff, many whom are parents. The counsellor demonstrated expertise in nurturing teenagers and built credibility, and most importantly, trust from the target customers. The talk ended with some recommended upcoming workshops in parenting and family bonding. Wasn’t he marketing with $0?

Q: To what extent has your experience in sales and marketing

in the industry benefitted you in designing and delivering curricula in an educational institution?

A: I like to quote the phrase “Walk the Talk” and transform it to

teaching: “Talk the Walk”.

I believe the most powerful teaching comes from sharing of personal journey in learning. Whenever possible, I will share my work experiences in explaining key concepts. My students told me that they learnt most from my experiential sharing, especially from the mistakes I made. Of course, there are also positive examples of how I have applied marketing concepts to meet companies’ objectives.

Q: You have been in RP for more than five

years. How has RP’s education system changed your perspectives in teaching?

A: To me, the unique value proposition

of RP’s education is the student-centric learning environment. We are the only tertiary institution in Singapore that provides 1:25 staff-to-student ratio. This allows academic staff to first learn about the needs of students before we impart knowledge to them in the most effective way. In whatever subject I teach, if I may put it conceptually, I constantly challenge myself to master the technique of knowledge impartation where social congruence and cognitive congruence overlap.

Q: How did you come up with this course?

A: The trigger is to design a marketing course that is different

from the common ‘Successful 4Ps of Marketing’ or the like, which many institutions already provide. It was mooted after much discussion with one of our strategic industry partners, ASME (The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises) on the most suitable programme to enhance profitability of SMEs. We aim to add value to this important sector of the industry.

About Ng Sua Keong Ng Sua Keong graduated from the University of Surrey (England) and) ng. with an Honours degree in Electronics & Electrical Engineering.

He has accumulated almost 20 years of experience in the IT and ted education industry. His sales and marketing experiences started in Hewlett-Packard where he took up various positions in testt and ting, measurement sales, channel management, consumer marketing, and sales development.

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