DPM Heng Swee Keat at Singapore Polytechnic's 70th Anniversary Graduation Ceremony

Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO of Singapore Polytechnic

Faculty, staff, and students,Parents and guests,

Good morning, I am very happy to join you on this joyful occasion of your graduation. Graduation is a significant milestone in our learning journey. It celebrates the skills and knowledge we have achieved, and the new experiences and wisdom we have gained. It is also a time of reflection, as we look back and appreciate those who have journeyed with us. Our family members, lecturers, mentors and friends were by our side, cheering us on, supporting our growth, and sharing in our joys and disappointments. So please join me in a round of applause, to congratulate the 279 graduands from the Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and nine institutional medallists, as well as to show appreciation for everyone here who have been a part of our graduands’ journey!

Today, we are also celebrating a milestone for Singapore Polytechnic. Founded 70 years ago as Singapore’s first polytechnic, Singapore Poly played a key role in training skilled workers at scale, to support Singapore’s industrialisation. From 192 students in the initial cohort, there are now 5,412 graduands in the 2024 cohort, and more than 235,000 alumni. I remember being on this same stage exactly 10 years ago, commemorating the 60th anniversary of SP and congratulating your seniors on their graduation. I spoke about the intangible qualities that a Polytechnic education builds, through hands-on applied learning. These include the ability to apply knowledge to different situations; and having the curiosity and drive to learn continuously – or in Principal Wai Wah’s words – “learn, un-learn, and re-learn".

One decade on, I daresay the value and relevance of a Polytechnic education has grown even further. The pace of scientific and technological innovation has accelerated, with digitalisation, robotics and AI – also known as the 4th Industrial Revolution – reshaping jobs and workplaces. These usher in new waves of opportunities that require workers to update their skills or retrain, to keep pace. And if we are not well-equipped or nimble enough, these waves could be overwhelming and even divisive. There are examples of this happening across the world today – where certain segments feel left behind or ill-equipped, creating divisions within society. This is why, in Singapore, we make sure that there are multiple pathways to progress, and opportunities for all. Education is key to this. At the economy level, our education system must continue to produce graduates who can match the skills needed by companies and industries to grow. At the individual level, our people must be able to look forward to good jobs and meaningful careers, not just when they start work, but throughout their lives. This means that Pre-employment Training (PET) is merely the first milestone. Throughout our lives, we must be prepared to undergo Continuing Education and Training (CET) to keep up-to-date and relevant. It also means that education and training need to have a strong linkage to industry, so that learners build market-relevant skills.

Our Polytechnics are doing well on both counts. Singapore Polytechnic has 28 co-location laboratories (or co-labs) with companies like Ericsson and Singtel, which provide the latest, cutting-edge equipment and technology for hands-on learning. This is a symbiotic collaboration, as it also enables SP to train and provide a talent pipeline with industry-ready skills for Singapore’s engineering sectors. Our polytechnics are also key CET providers, supporting Singaporeans in building new skills and knowledge throughout their working lives. As Principal Wai Wah mentioned, I am encouraged to see the growth in SP’s CET offerings. Last year, SP offered nearly 82,000 places – an increase of more than 20% over 4 years. This year, nearly 30% of SP’s graduating cohort are CET graduands – this includes ITE upgraders, diploma holders, and even degree holders.This is why our polytechnic graduates are sought after and have good employment prospects. According to the 2023 Graduate Employment Survey, the overall employment rate for polytechnic students is higher than that of the Autonomous Universities. In fact, I learnt that the employment rate for graduates of the Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering or DEEE is an impressive 95%! This is a significant achievement – well done!
With this strong foundation, graduands, you will soon embark on your next adventure. Every journey will be different – there will be bumps yet also high points along the way. As someone who has been in the workforce and experienced a range of roles over the past 40 years, allow me to share three reflections. Since this is a roomful of Triple-E graduands, let me use three “E”s to illustrate the mindset, action and outcome we should strive towards: First, a positive mindset that Embraces opportunities; Second, being action-oriented and Equip ourselves well; and finally, put these two together, be Empowered to make a positive difference in the world.

Embrace opportunities

Let me first speak about mindset and the first “E” – of embracing opportunities. I mentioned earlier that the pace of innovation has accelerated, reshaping jobs and workplaces more quickly. We often do not have control over the type, speed and timing of change. But what we can influence and control, is how we respond to change and confront challenges. With a positive mindset, we can reframe change or challenges as opportunities, and shape our response accordingly. As our first polytechnic, SP embodies this adaptive and pioneering mindset, and has continually embraced opportunities to deliver on its mission better. For example, to support your students’ learning during COVID, SP moved lectures online quickly and leveraged flipped learning. Post-pandemic, SP recognised the benefits of online asynchronous lessons for more customised learning, so this is now a fixture for your courses.

As individuals, we must likewise adopt this growth mindset and embrace new experiences and opportunities. As EEE (triple E) students, you tackled problem statements provided by the companies you interned with. These gave you the opportunity to understand the industry, and build relevant skillsets in areas like AI, robotics, and IoT. Kunnampully Karthikeyan Harish did his internship at Venti Technologies, which provides AI-powered autonomous vehicle solutions in logistics hubs. Kunnampully took the initiative to create a chatbot to help Venti’s operators locate the robots they were managing more easily. In so doing, he enhanced the productivity of the operators, and deepened his knowledge of robotics. This is a wonderful example of how we can embrace the opportunities availed to us, to maximise our learning and impact.

Equip ourselves

This leads me to my second “E”, which is that we must translate a positive mindset into action, and proactively equip ourselves with the necessary skills and experiences. SP alumni I’ve spoken to always describe their education as “practical” and “real-world”. This is because SP continually updates its curricula and programme offerings to equip students to be work-ready and future-ready. For example, SP introduced the Common Core Curriculum last year to equip students with human and emerging digital skills like data storytelling and computational thinking. Through the CCC, students get to tackle real-world challenges and participate in community projects. This enables them to build up skills that will prove useful in any industry or job. It also develops students to be empathetic, with a heart for serving the community and making a positive difference. Besides students, our polytechnics also play an important role in developing our SMEs and catalysing enterprise transformation. SP has 12 consultancy and technology innovation centres which specialise in a range of areas, from food innovation to advanced materials for the built environment. These centres equip our SMEs with resources to transform their businesses, as well as develop and test new solutions.

I’ve spoken about what SP has done to equip students with industry-relevant skills and experiences. What can you as students do to equip yourselves? I mentioned earlier that we will need to reskill and upskill throughout our careers to keep pace with technological advancements. We must be proactive about this. Earlier in our careers, we should keep abreast of the latest industry trends and participate in relevant courses or training. Over time, we should take stock of our development and identify skill gaps or new areas of interest. Be sure to take the next step of finding the relevant courses or programmes to build up these new skills. As CET and lifelong learning become the new norm, SkillsFuture has become a key pillar of our social compact under the Forward Singapore movement. The Government announced the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme at Budget 2024, which gives Singaporeans a substantial SkillsFuture Credit top-up of $4,000 when you turn 40. Turning 40 might seem far away for you, but I hope it assures you that no matter how old you are, we are committed to supporting in lifelong learning. And with SP offering some 550 courses, SP can be your partner for your continual journey, and I expect some of you will return to SP sometime down the road to utilise these provisions! Be it short courses or specialist diplomas, it is about equipping yourselves to better seize opportunities, and continue building meaningful careers.

Empowered to Make a Difference

This leads me to the final “E” – when we embrace opportunities to learn throughout life and take action to equip ourselves with new skills, we will be empowered to make a difference, wherever we might be. The world today is more difficult than a decade ago. Geopolitics has sharpened differences, tempered cooperation and caused conflicts across countries and societies. Global challenges like climate change and ageing demographics are becoming more urgent. But this should not be a cause for despair. Instead, let’s embrace the world as it is, and seize the opportunities that it brings. Singapore, for example, has leaned into our positioning as a Global-Asia node for technology, innovation and enterprise, and welcomed companies and individuals to leverage our extensive linkages, to grow new opportunities in the region and beyond. As SP graduands, you are well-equipped with the competencies and knowledge to develop meaningful careers and make contributions in your industry of choice. I urge you to think more broadly and ambitiously about how you can utilise your abilities to make a difference, and achieve greater impact. Consider the issues that you are passionate about, and think of how you can contribute and effect change. Take climate change for example – it is a complex challenge which needs to be tackled through a range of actions. Quek Zi Tao and Deng Sansheng studied the performance of different types of photovoltaic modules under different conditions as part of their industry project. Their efforts could be applied to enhance the performance of local solar PV systems, and boost the adoption of solar energy in Singapore. Their project was showcased at last year’s Singapore International Energy Week. I hope Zi Tao and Sansheng’s achievements, as well as the achievements of illustrious alumni like Mr Bill Chang, the CEO of Digital InfraCo at Singtel, will inspire you to dare to make a difference and contribute positively.

Conclusion

Let me conclude by once again offering my heartiest congratulations to all our graduands and your families, lecturers, and mentors, on achieving this milestone in your educational journey. With a positive mindset of embracing opportunities and a proactive approach of equipping yourself with the relevant skills and competencies throughout life, I am confident that you will be empowered to make a positive contribution, irrespective of which industry or path you choose to take.SP has equipped you well for your journey ahead, so I hope that many of you will return to SP at some point in your lives, to build future success stories for the SP graduands to come. Congratulations to our graduands, and to SP on 70 years of pioneering education!

Thank you.