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Chairman, Board of Trustees of SIT, Mr Bill Chang,
President of SIT, Professor Chua Kee Chaing,
Faculty and staff,
Parents and Graduands,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Introduction
1. A very good morning to all of you. It must be a really proud moment for the parents. I have three daughters, the eldest of whom is 20 years old and currently in university. As a mother, I am eagerly anticipating her graduation. Hence, I would like to first congratulate all the parents who are here today. Thank you for supporting our graduands on this journey.
2. To the graduands, it is my privilege to join you in celebrating this special moment in your life. My heartiest congratulations to all of you here today.
3. As we celebrate this milestone together, I would like to pose two questions for the graduands to ponder upon.
Staying relevant and competitive in an evolving landscape
4. First, in today’s ever-changing landscape, how can Singapore and our workers stay relevant and competitive?
5. We see many industry sectors in Singapore and around the world undergoing significant shifts. As companies transform and new business models emerge, work processes and the skills required will also need to evolve. With technology shortening the half-life of skills, it is critical for both businesses and employees to transform to stay ahead and competitive.
6. For our SIT graduates, the concept of applied learning is no stranger to you. Being part of Singapore’s first university of Applied Learning, you have participated in SIT’s unique Integrated Work-Study Programme (IWSP) and thrived on a model of learning which combines institution-based learning with structured on-the-job-training.
7. The IWSP has been a successful programme in Singapore. Through the IWSP, students have been exposed to real-life work and problem-solving, contributing to actual outcomes in various fields. One in two SIT graduates have also received job offers from their IWSP companies before graduation. That speaks volumes of the quality of the students in this programme.
8. Take, for example, Phua Yan Er, a graduand from the pioneering batch of Digital Communications and Integrated Media. As a field marketing intern at Palo Alto Networks, Yan Er managed high-profile events that gave her a front row seat to the full project lifecycle. From developing meaningful event agendas to curating content for various audiences, the dynamic and challenging working environment honed Yan Er’s project management skills. In fact, she held her own in the prestigious Marketing Events Awards Competition and led her team in developing marketing materials that clinched not one, but two prestigious “Best Event” team awards – an impressive feat for an intern. Well done, Yan Er!
9. Likewise, Darren Loo, a graduate from the second batch of Air Transport Management, saw his eight-month-long IWSP stint with Changi Airport Group as an invaluable learning opportunity. As a product management trainee, Darren developed an online portal for airline passengers to calculate their carbon footprint and offset it via carbon credits from environmentally sustainable projects. This allowed Darren to translate his classroom knowledge like carbon offsetting and aviation carbon emissions into practice.
10. Darren will soon join Changi Airport Group’s Airport Operations Planning Department as a Senior Associate. Congratulations, Darren!
11. I am sure that many of you here would have similar experiences as Darren and Yan Er. I look forward to your contributions towards enhancing the industries that are vital to Singapore’s growth.
12. In line with the spirit of lifelong learning, I also encourage you to continue upskilling and reskilling throughout your career. Take advantage of the wide variety of bite-sized Continuing Education and Training courses that SIT has to offer through the SITLEARN portal to improve your workplace competencies.
13. As Professor Chua mentioned earlier, the new “Learn for Life” initiative will make lifelong learning even more accessible for SIT alumni. I hope this will motivate you to take the first step in your lifelong learning journey.
Be a source of inspiration to those around you
14. My second question to the graduands today is: “Given your skillsets and talent, how can you give back to the community?” After all, we are not defined by what we have achieved by ourselves, but by what we give back to the community.
15. Let me share the story of Wisely Tan.
16. Wisely is a graduand from the Bachelor of Accountancy. Despite having limited knowledge about Accountancy when he first enrolled, Wisely put in extra effort to catch up with his peers who had an Accountancy diploma. He was placed on the SIT Provost’s List in 2020 and recently secured a position as an International Tax Advisor at one of the big four accounting firms.
17. Many of you may also know Wisely as an avid runner who represented SIT in national track-and-field competitions. As a professional athlete, Wisely had to cope with frequent sporting injuries, the most serious of which caused him to undergo multiple surgeries. But after months of rehabilitation, Wisely came back stronger and attained gold medals in the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Track and Field Championships in 2021 and 2022.
18. He applies his can-do spirit to his role in leading SIT’s Track and Field team and coaching his teammates, helping some of them overcome their challenges to succeed in competitions as one Team SIT.
19. Like Wisely, you can inspire hope in others by giving back and adding value to the community. I encourage you to stay connected to the SIT family and help the SIT community flourish, even after you graduate.
20. One such way is to become a mentor to your juniors through the Industry Mentorship Programme, where students are paired with industry mentors to help develop their career pathways and share industry-specific experiences. I am a believer in mentorship, and I continue to be a mentor to young women who are starting out in the working world. Today, SIT’s mentorship programme has over 200 industry mentors. Sharing your experiences with fellow SITizens will guide them in making informed choices regarding their potential careers and life decisions.
Closing
21. Let me now once again congratulate all of you on your achievements and graduation. I hope that you will strive to stay relevant and competitive, and be a source of inspiration to those around you. Pay it forward and contribute to the community in your own ways, no matter how big or small. Sometimes, just being kind and lending a listening ear can make a difference.
22. Finally, don’t be afraid to challenge yourselves and seize new opportunities which will allow you to reach greater heights. Continue seeking improvements and be better tomorrow than you are today. The future is yours after all to create, and I wish you the best in your next chapter of life.
23. Thank you.
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