Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister of State for Education & Manpower

Mr Eric Gwee, Chairman, ITE

Dr Law Song Seng, Director & CEO, ITE

Staff and Students

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to be with you today to witness the Official Opening of ITE East (MacPherson) campus and the Opening of the National Skills Competition 2002.

Let me first offer my congratulations to ITE for the opening of this modern and well-equipped campus. With the completion of its first Physical Development Plan and the implementation of its new training initiatives, ITE is well-positioned to offer technical education that meets the manpower needs of the New Economy. This new campus will create a conducive teaching and learning environment for school leavers and adult learners to acquire skills, knowledge and values for lifelong learning.

Two years ago, when I officiated at the Opening of ITE West (Bukit Batok) campus and the National Skills Competition 2000, I said that ITE’s new Curriculum and Pedagogic Models would go a long way in preparing ITE students to face the challenges of the New Economy. Already, ITE graduates are well-sought after by industry and assessment by employers is positive. ITE has done well to strengthen their students’ foundation and mastery of the three key competencies, that is, technical, methodological and social competencies.

Today, I am pleased to announce another major initiative by ITE to streamline its system of certification. The new system will give better recognition to the value of an ITE qualification. It is a clear reflection of the changing needs of the economy, quality of students and brandname of ITE as an established post-secondary technical educational institution.

The current ITE system of certification has evolved since the 1970s, in tandem with the changing economic and educational needs, and profile of ITE students. Many of us are now familiar with ITE certifications such as the Industrial Technician Certificate (ITC), Certificate in Business Studies (CBS), National Technical Certificate (NTC), National Certificate in Nursing (NCN) and Certificate in Office Skills (COS). These certifications were developed along occupational groups, as the titles of the certifications would suggest. While this certification system has met our needs in the past, it is no longer adequate for the New Economy.

Firstly, it has limitations in responding to the demand for qualifications in new areas of training, especially in the service sector. For example, the present National Technical Certificate or NTC, which was developed for technical skills, cannot be expected to appropriately accommodate service skills in say, nursing or tourism. Therefore, without this flexibility, the present system will lead to a proliferation of certification titles in the future. Already, we are beginning to see this trend when titles such as National Certificate in Nursing, Certificate in Office Skills and Certificate in Travel Services had to be separately created. A streamlined certification system based on the level of training would provide this flexibility to accommodate new qualifications to meet emerging needs.

Secondly, the profile of ITE students has improved over the years. Before the formation of ITE in April 1992, less than 50% of the students enrolled in the former Vocational & Industrial Training Board had a secondary education. Today, 95% of ITE students have GCE ‘O’ or ‘N’ qualification. They have a stronger foundation in literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Many changes have also been introduced by ITE in recent years to provide a more well-rounded training programme. The system of certification should therefore appropriately reflect the new education profile, quality and competencies of ITE graduates.

Thirdly, with modern and well-equipped campuses, high quality training programmes and successful graduates, ITE now commands a strong brand name as an established post-secondary technical education institution in Singapore and overseas. The ITE Certifications are well-recognised and accepted by industry. It is, thus, timely to recognise this ITE brandname and further enhance the status and value of technical training through a new system of certification.

I am pleased to announce that, after a comprehensive review last year, ITE has rationalised its existing 6 certifications into 3 levels. The new certifications, which take effect from July 2002, are:

• The National ITE Certificate, or NITEC, for courses whose pre-requisite entry requirement is the GCE ‘N’ level. NITEC will replace the existing National Technical Certificate Grade 2 (or NTC-2), the National Certificate in Nursing and Certificate in Office Skills;
• The Higher National ITE Certificate, or Higher NITEC, for courses with GCE ‘O’ level as the pre-requisite entry requirement. The Higher NITEC will replace the existing Industrial Technician Certificate (or ITC) and Certificate in Business Studies (or CBS); and
• The Master National ITE Certificate, or Master NITEC, for ITE graduates with the existing NTC-2 or the new NITEC qualification, and have work experience. The Master NITEC, which is similar to Germany’s "Meister" qualification, will replace the National Technical Certificate Grade 1 (or NTC-1).

This new ITE Certification System will give ITE greater flexibility in introducing new courses to meet the changing needs of the new economy. It will align certifications with pre-requisite entry requirements and will provide a clearer definition of the different levels of ITE training to school leavers, employers and the public. The new National ITE Certificate or "NITEC" is, in essence, the new benchmark for ITE training. As a post-secondary qualification, "NITEC" will be to ITE is what a "Diploma" is to a Polytechnic or a "Degree" to the University. The incorporation of the ITE name in the new system of certification will further enhance the recognition and value of an ITE qualification. It better reflects the ITE today and the quality of its graduates.

This morning’s ceremony will also mark the beginning of National Skills Competition 2002. We will be witnessing our Singaporean youths demonstrating their special talents for technical skills over the next three days. The National Competition is also the platform where we assess our standards and select competitors for the Singapore team for the World Skills Competition, which will be held in Switzerland next year. I understand that previous Singapore teams have done well at such international skills competitions. With the strength and quality of our ITE and Polytechnic training systems, I am confident that we will continue to do well.

Let me, once again, congratulate ITE on the Official Opening of ITE East (MacPherson) and the Opening of National Skills Competition 2002. To all participants in the Skills Competition, I wish you an enjoyable and successful competition.