MEDIA ADVISORY 31 OCTOBER 2008
Republic Polytechnic Launches Two New Diplomas
(1) Diploma in Aerospace Engineering (Quality Systems) – the first of its kind in Singapore (2) Diploma in Business Information Systems – bridging the gap between the info systems and business sectors
Republic Polytechnic, the first educational institution in Singapore to adopt the Problem-Based Learning approach, is launching two new diplomas.
The Diploma in Aerospace Engineering (Quality Systems) by theSchool of Engineering is the first of its kind and will support the aerospace industry in Singapore specifically in engine repairs and overhauls. The diploma will equip our students with the skills to work in the industry as aircraft engine inspectors and aircraft structural inspectors.
Further on they would have the capability to advance their careers as quality engineers/auditors or approved signatories in aerospace Maintenance and Repair Organizations. Students will be trained to be knowledgeable in the field of maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft turbine engines and structures.
The Diploma in Business Information Systems (DBIS) by the School of Information and Communications Technology is the first diploma in Singapore that focuses on Information Systems.
DBIS develops a pool of highly trained professionals who have business and IT skills to match the needs of business with the latest in information technology to work in end-user organisations, IT software, hardware and professional services companies.
DBIS graduates will continue to be in greatest demand even in a weak economy (Please refer to Annex A).
Republic Polytechnic cordially invites you to the launch. The details are as follows:-
Date: Thursday, 6 November 2008
Venue: Republic Polytechnic Centre, Heritage Room
Programme |
|
9.30am |
Media registration and reception |
10.00am |
Opening address by Mr Yeo Li Pheow, Principal & CEO of Republic Polytechnic |
10.05am |
Key industry speakers endorsing the new diplomas and touch on the industry outlook
(Please refer to Annex B for the speakers’ biographies) |
11.10am |
Closing remarks |
11.20am |
Q&A Session |
11.30pm |
Lunch |
Please confirm your attendance by 4 November 2008. For further details, kindly contact:
Republic Polytechnic
Benjamin Chow
Tel: 31001779
Email: benjamin_chow@rp.sg
Mileage Communications Pte Ltd
Ooi Kelly/ Ronald Wong
Tel: 62221678
Email: kelly@mileage.com.sg / ronald@mileage.com.sg
About Republic Polytechnic
The first educational institution in Singapore to adopt the Problem-Based Learning approach for all its diploma programmes, Republic Polytechnic has six schools and one centre offering thirty diploma courses in Information & Communications Technology, Engineering, Applied Science, Technology for the Arts, Sports, Health & Leisure, Events and Hospitality, Innovation and Enterprise, and Culture and Communication. Republic Polytechnic is committed to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurial learning in an environment that develops problem-solving process skills and a life-long learning attitude. Its holistic, broad-based curriculum, covering culture, enterprise development and cognitive processes, prepares students for an active and meaningful role in society. Republic Polytechnic strives for excellence by achieving various national and international accreditations, including People Developer Standards, ISO9001, ISO14001, OHSAS 18001, Singapore Quality Class, Singapore Innovation Class, and the Singapore Health Awards (Gold). For more information, visit http://www.rp.sg.
ANNEX A
Is the IT Profession Recession-Proof?
CIO Insight, October 7
Based on the economic evidence of the past 10 years, the IT sector appears to be far more resilient than the overall economy in shrugging off economic weakness. Some would even say that the IT profession is recession-proof. In fact, the last time that the IT unemployment rate was higher than the national unemployment rate was back in 2003. Now, with the national joblessness rate approaching 6%, the IT unemployment rate is only about 2.5%. With that as a backdrop, the article examines the structural factors creating the basis for a relatively strong and vibrant environment for IT hiring.
Even as the U.S. economy heads toward a likely recession, IT employment remains near record-high levels. In the past quarter, for example, IT unemployment only increased by 3,000. By way of comparison, total IT employment stands at nearly 4 million workers. Historically, IT employment has outperformed the overall job market and has been resilient to long periods of economic downturn. Even after the worst years of the dot-com bust, many of the job losses proved to be temporary. Since 2004, IT job growth has been on an upward trajectory, with the massive Internet-related investments made during the dot-com boom creating the basis for strong growth during the current period.
People with a mix of business and IT skills will be in greatest demand, even in a weak economy. Payrolls of IT services firms in the United States have soared by nearly 30% since bottoming out after the dot-com bust, an increase of almost 200,000 new IT jobs in that sector alone. Going forward, IT professionals will be called on to solve many challenges facing society, such as global warming and the need to find new alternative fuel sources. All of these “Green Internet” disciplines will require IT, and by extension, a whole new generation of IT workers with new skills.
Full article: http://blogs.cioinsight.com/parallax_view/content/workplace/is_the_it_profession_recession_proof_1.html
ANNEX B
Biographies of Key Industry Speakers
Mr Chan Kong Soon, CEO of Stream Global Pte Ltd
Mr Chak has been in the ICT industry for more that 20 years. His passion is in building organisations and nurturing them. Prior to being the Managing Partner of Stream Global and the Managing Director of E1 Studio, he was mentoring Mustard Technology and several other ICT organisations in the region.
He was the Managing Director in VandaInnovasia; a subsidiary of Hong Kong listed company, responsible for their technology services business. In this role, he was tasked to help the Hutchinson Whampoa related company in creating the vision and strategy for their services business and executing them in Asia, He has also started and ran several companies, among them were Finesse Software, Finesse Alliance, Fuziq Pte Ltd, Elcom Software, and several others.
Mr Gary Nutter, CEO of SAESL
Gary Nutter took up his current position, in February 2008, as Chief Executive Officer for SAESL (Singapore Aero Engine Services Limited), seconded from Rolls-Royce Group Plc. SAESL is investing US$47m over the next 2 years in infrastructure, new equipment and capability to enable the business to grow to be capable of overhauling 250 Rolls-Royce Trent engines per year.
Gary initially worked in the automotive industry for 10 years before joining Rolls-Royce in 2000 where has held a number of senior roles: Business Director for Derby Aero Repair & Overhaul, Director of GCRS (Global Component Repair Services) and Logistics Director for Combustion Systems.
Gary was born in 1968 in the South East of England. He attained a BSc (Hons) from Brighton Polytechnic, a Diploma di Esperto della Produzione Industriale (Tecnico-Economico) from Politecnico di Torino and an MSc in Engineering Business Management from Warwick University.