Outgoing director proud ITE no longer plagued by negative stereotypes
Mr Poh played a role in implementing the ‘One ITE System, Three Colleges’ education model. Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — In the early years of his tenure as director and chief executive of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Mr Bruce Poh (picture) noticed one thing about his students: They would stand with shoulders slumped and heads down whenever he spoke to them, which to him signalled a lack of confidence.
It did not help to know that the word on the street was that students were embarrassed to wear their uniforms. Worse still, the staff shared a similar sentiment.
“Previously, when they were asked ‘Where do you work?’, they would say, ‘I work in the Government’. And when you asked which part of the Government, they would say the Ministry of Education. And when you asked which division, they would say higher education. And when you asked which area of higher education, only then would they say ITE,” chuckled Mr Poh, who joined ITE in 2007.
But a decade on, Mr Poh, who officially steps down from the helm next month, is proud that ITE is no longer plagued by negative perceptions and stereotypes.
ITE’s Brand Equity Index, a survey conducted among students, parents and employers to assess the value of its brand, jumped from 34 per cent in 1997 (the inaugural year of the survey) to 68 per cent in 2015.
Under Mr Poh’s watch, ITE’s industry partners have more than doubled from 60 in 2007 to over 120 as of last year. Over the same period, the number of courses has also been expanded from 54 to 101.
Success is also evident on the employment front. As of its financial year ending in March 2016, graduates’ employment rate reached 85 per cent and, according to Mr Poh, the graduates’ average monthly salary has also shot up — from S$1,391 a month in 2009 to the current S$1,916.
He recalled a particular conversation with one of the partners of high-end restaurant group Les Amis Group a couple of years ago.
“They asked me, ‘Can I get all of your graduates? I want all of your graduates’,” laughed the 61-year-old.
Mr Poh’s career in public service has spanned some 35 years. He started out as an engineer in Hewlett-Packard before joining the Singapore Economic Development Board in 1981. In 1992, he helped to establish Nanyang Polytechnic and became its Deputy Principal before joining ITE in 2007.
While he had no apprehension taking up his current posts, Mr Poh said he was mindful that he had big shoes to fill. After all, he took over from Dr Law Song Seng, who was widely known within the education sector as “Mr ITE”, for transforming the institution during his 25-year tenure.
At the top of Mr Poh’s agenda was building up the staff’s capabilities and ensuring that lecturers were kept up to date with the evolving labour market, by sending them on attachments in Singapore and abroad to learn about changing business practices and cutting-edge technologies.
Lecturers, too, need to be caring and nurturing, especially when most of their students are kinesthetic learners who learn better through physical activities, and are of a different socio-economic profile.
“When you talk about, let’s say, Raffles Institution, if the staff don’t do too well, I think the students will still do well. But in our case, I think you need to do very well in nurturing and caring to bring out the best in students,” said Mr Poh.
Another priority for Mr Poh was to develop ITE’s facilities. He contributed to the set-up of Epitome, a learning facility located in ITE College Central, which was launched in 2013 with amenities such as a bistro and hair salon doubling up as training grounds for students to test their skills.
In 2005, Mr Poh also played a role in implementing the “One ITE System, Three Colleges” education model, which allowed the institution to consolidate and deploy its resources effectively. Its premises are now a draw for foreign visitors, which numbered over 2,000 last year, among them heads of state such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Poh will be succeeded by Mdm Low Khah Gek, the Ministry of Education’s director of schools. Describing ITE students and staff as his “second family”, Mr Poh, a father of four girls aged 20 to 27, will next lead the ITE Education Services.
While he felt some sadness at leaving, he took comfort in seeing that students and staff, who once were embarrassed about the institution, now embrace it wholeheartedly.
“They proclaim without hesitation they are from ITE ... That gives you the satisfaction that you have done something right,” said Mr Poh.
