ITE and NTUC Collaborate to Enhance Staff Capability and Student Development

Two MOUs to upskill ITE staff and sharpen work-readiness among ITE students

13 October 2020: The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) today. Both MOUs share a common goal of people development, be it through training initiatives co-developed with staff unions or youth programmes providing work exposure and promoting character building. Guest-of-Honour, Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of NTUC, witnessed the signing of the MOUs.

Upskilling ITE Staff through Company Training Committee – ITE x UITS x AUPE MOU

In the first MOU, signed by ITE, Union of the ITE Training Staff (UITS) and the Amalgamated Union of Public Employee (AUPE), an ITE-Union Company Training Committee (ITE-Union CTC) will be set up.

The CTC will provide a collaborative platform for ITE and its staff union to keep abreast of emerging skills and technology, identifying developmental needs and learning opportunities for ITE staff through a ground-up approach. This CTC will complement ITE’s Staff Capability Development Framework which supports competency programmes specific to ITE staff, focusing on the following three priorities – skills relevance, workforce agility and lifelong learning. NTUC’s union members and partners can also leverage ITE’s niche CET (Continuing Education and Training) capabilities for more targeted training opportunities and courses to upskill or reskill themselves and keep up with the changing industry landscape. More than 2,500 staff will benefit from this CTC.

The three-year agreement was signed by Ms Low Khah Gek, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ITE; Mr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari, General Secretary, AUPE; and Mr Paul Sim Sian Khoo, President, UITS. The signing was witnessed by GOH SG Ng; Mr Heng Guan Teck,

Deputy CEO (Corporate & Human Resource), ITE; Ms Sabrina Loi, Chief Officer, Organisation Excellence & International Partnerships and Covering Dean, ITE Academy; Mr Elson Koh, General Secretary, UITS; Ms Faith Hong, General Treasurer, UITS; Mr Anbuselvan Ramachandran, Branch Chairman, AUPE-ITE Staff Branch; and Ms Leong Wai Fong, Branch Secretary, AUPE-ITE Staff Branch.

Nurturing Work-Ready Students – NTUC Club x ITE MOU

Besides enhancing staff competencies, ITE constantly seeks new ways to nurture students holistically to be well-rounded individuals. The previous MOUs signed in 2012 and 2015 between ITE and NTUC Club saw several community events organised to provide opportunities for ITE students to hone their entrepreneurship and leadership skills, and give back to society. The desire to continue and renew the strong partnership for the third time led to the inking of a MOU among ITE, NTUC Club and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).

The three-year MOU was signed by Mr Lim Eng Lee, CEO, NTUC Club; Ms Vicky Wong, Deputy CEO, NTUC’s e2i; and Ms Low Khah Gek, CEO, ITE. The witnesses were GOH SG Ng; Mr Gilbert Tan, CEO, NTUC’s e2i; Mr Suresh Natarajan, Principal, ITE College Central; Dr Yek Tiew Ming, Principal, ITE College East; Ms Alice Seow, Principal, ITE College West; and Mr Elson Koh, General Secretary, UITS and former member of NTUC Club Management Council.

With a deeper emphasis on preparing ITE students for the workforce, ITE, NTUC Club and NTUC’s e2i will collaborate in areas relating to student internships, learning journeys and job placement services, as well as other Youth Club leadership and character-building initiatives under nEbO’s Headstart programme.

nEbO is the youth membership arm of NTUC run by NTUC Club. Through NTUC Club’s extended network of unionised companies, ITE students would be offered internships (relevant to their courses) for a duration of up to six months. NTUC’s e2i will facilitate the job placement services, learning journeys, seminars or workshops, for eligible graduating students and fresh graduates from ITE, thereby increasing their job prospects. This is amongst other dialogues, networking sessions, and work exposure initiatives, which aim to extend ITE students’ exposure to the various industries, thus, allowing them to make more informed career decisions. nEbO will also partner ITE Youth Club to develop a series of leadership and character-building programmes that could further enhance the students’ soft skills.

NTUC Club will source, through its network of unionised companies, for individuals to participate in ITE’s CET courses where relevant. NTUC Club will also partner with ITE to customise and deliver short courses in areas such as, design, software and digitalisation, to support staff capability development of NTUC Club or relevant unionised companies.

Guest of Honour, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng shared “NTUC has mustered our capabilities to protect our workers and assist them in upskilling. While we continue to introduce Company Training Committee with our partners, it is also important to take the lead in providing the students with internship opportunities and cultivate their spirit of learning and development. Hence, I am heartened to witness this partnership between NTUC Club and ITE being renewed. NTUC’s e2i, as the ecosystem manager for the NTUC Job Security Council will continue to assist our members to match their broad skillsets with available jobs. Whatever your age, NTUC will be here for you.”