THE Institute of Technical Education (ITE), known for its technical certifications, will offer its first diploma course.

However, its diplomas will be in niche areas not covered by the polytechnics.

'We are not looking to duplicate the work of polytechnics,' ITE chief executive officer Bruce Poh said.

'Instead, we are trying to find another path for our highly technically skilled graduates to go deeper into their subject knowledge,' he said.

The first diploma it will offer is the ITE Technical Engineer Diploma in Machine Technology, in partnership with the German Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Baden-Wuttemberg.

The course will begin next April with 50 students and is a two-year, full-time course with students receiving a German diploma.

Mr Poh said the ITE was looking into offering more such diplomas but details have not been confirmed.

Areas of study would be those which require students to have the technical skills before starting the diploma programme.

With the machine technology diploma, for example, students must first have a National ITE Certificate (Nitec) in precision engineering or a Higher Nitec in mechanical engineering. They must also have 11/2 years of working experience to graduate.

About 1,000 students will be finishing their ITE courses in time for this diploma.

Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said ITE's plan to move in this direction was in line with the Government's effort to offer a greater diversity of pathways in the education system.

The diploma, he said, 'created an added and attractive progression pathway for ITE students'.

He was speaking at yesterday's ITE Graduation Ceremony. In all, 11,884 students graduated this year.

Industry players are also looking forward to hiring graduates from this diploma programme.

ASM Technology Singapore, for example, is even planning to offer scholarships to students.

Its managing director, Mr Lee Wai Kwong, said that it has about 900 employees with a 'significant number' coming from the ITE.

The company makes equipment and machinery for manufacturers of semi-conductors and integrated circuits, among other things.

ITE graduates in his company now work as technicians and help engineers assemble machines or build prototypes.

'Now, ITE graduates work under our engineers but with better knowledge through the diploma programme, we can leave them to manage projects,'' he said.

While the services sector is gaining strength, manufacturing still contributed 28 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product last year.

The diploma programme will 'fill a critical manpower need in the manufacturing sector', said Mr Poh.

ITE also foresees graduates from the programme receiving similar salaries as polytechnic diploma holders - between $1,600 and $2,000.

Students who do well in the diploma course will also be recognised for entry into German universities such as the University of Esslingen, which offers degrees in English.

Mr Cheong Kok Weng, 18, who will graduate with the Nitec in precision engineering at the end of the year, is looking forward to applying for the diploma programme.

'I would have gone on to a polytechnic to do mechanical engineering, but it wouldn't have been exactly the same as the subject I was doing at ITE,' he said.

A brush with success

WHEN Clement Ng was in secondary school, he did not have the opportunity to pursue his first love, art.
But that did not stop him from spending all his free time in his bedroom drawing cartoons and sketching.

Now, at 18, he hopes to be able to change the system one day and find a way to expose every child to art.

One of the top graduates of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) this year, the digital media design graduate picked up the Sng Yew Chong Gold Medal, which is given to a student for doing well in his or her course of study and co-curricular activities.

Mr Ng is now doing a diploma in fine arts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, after which he hopes to join the National Institute of Education and become an art teacher.

Said the son of a contractor and housewife who grew up in a three-room flat in Ang Mo Kio: 'When I was younger, I would draw only characters inspired by anime, but at ITE, I learnt how to draw realistic human characters and work with digital media.'

Besides excelling academically, he was also into community projects. During a 14-day expedition to Bangalore, he worked with the children there to paint a wall mural.

More than a sporting chance

WITH a score of 19 points in her O levels for English and her four best subjects, Miss Nurshahidah Roslie, 19, could have gone down the polytechnic route.
Instead - against her parents' wishes - she took up the place offered her by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), to pursue her dream of becoming a taekwondo coach.

'I had to promise my parents I would excel in my course and make them proud,' she said of her executive assistant mother and civil servant father.

Excel, she did.

She scored a grade point average of 3.9 in her sport management course and is the first Malay student to win the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal, which is awarded to the top ITE graduate who excelled in his or her course of study and co-curricular activities, and enriched campus life.

After her time at ITE College East, however, Miss Nushahidah no longer wants to be a taekwondo coach.

Her participation in activities as president of the ITE's Interact Club opened her eyes to the plight of the physically disabled, so she now wants to help them excel in the sports arena.

'Sports is one way of integrating the disabled in mainstream society. I want to help them lead fulfilling lives,'' she said.

She has her future mapped out. Now on a diploma course in sports and exercise science at Republic Polytechnic, she aims to get a degree eventually.

Her parents would be - rightly - proud.

Succeeding with second chance

ENROLLING in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) had not been on the cards for Mr Sim Wee Jin.
The former Normal (Academic) stream student scored well enough in his N levels to do his O levels and figured his path to the polytechnic was all set. So when he failed almost all his subjects in the O levels, he was devastated.

'I was overconfident and wondered to myself how difficult or different could the O levels be. I was really wrong about that,' said the son of a technician mum and a computer salesman dad.

But the 19-year-old made a remarkable turnaround and scored a perfect 4.0 grade point average in his National ITE Certificate course in mechatronics (automation technology).

Yesterday, he was also awarded the Tay Eng Soon Gold Medal which is given to a top ITE graduate who has also been active in co-curricular activities and contributed to the well-being and development of the campus.

'I saw this as my second chance to prove myself. But working hard and putting in the extra effort wasn't difficult because I was interested in the topics,' he said.

As president of the campus' community service committee, he also organised visits to old folk's homes and blood donation drives.

Mr Sim is now studying for a diploma in mechatronics at Singapore Polytechnic and hopes to start his own robotic automation business.

'It's always been my dream to go to Singapore Polytechnic - I just took a little longer than I expected,' said the only child.