Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education, at Project bITE Closing Ceremony cum Certificate Presentation of Integration Camp 2006 on Tuesday, 11 July 2006, at 1500 Hours, at the Police Academy (Thomson)

SPEECH BY MR MASAGOS ZULKIFLI, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT PROJECT bITE CLOSING CEREMONY CUM CERTIFICATE PRESENTATION OF INTEGRATION CAMP 2006 ON TUESDAY, 11 JULY 2006, AT 1500HRS, AT THE POLICE ACADEMY (THOMSON)

Introduction
1. I am very pleased to join all of you at the closing ceremony of this year’s Integration Camp. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Project bITE, and to get to know some of the ITE students participating in this camp. I understand that Project bITE is a youth mentoring and development programme catering for ITE students of all social, ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Preparation for the Future
2. Two things await you when you graduate - Rapid advancement in technology and our economy which is globally linked. Rapid technological advancement and economic globalization have given rise to a global market that is constantly evolving. Therefore our future is unpredictable and yet, it will bring us tremendous opportunity and challenges. It is therefore, imperative that you should be equipped with relevant and up-to-date knowledge and skills to enable you to stay ahead and be adaptable to changing needs. It is with such a scenario in mind that 4PM has organised this camp to encourage you and instil in you the mindset to be innovative, skilful and caring workers of the global economy.

3. Organisations like 4PM come alongside the ITE to inculcate positive values in the students and to support ITE’s brand of education that aims to equip students with a “hands-on, minds-on and hearts-on” approach in skills and mindset. The ‘hands-on’ training equips you with the skills required for the job. The ‘minds-on’ learning will develop you into thinking and flexible individuals who will be able to keep learning and adapting to changes. Lastly, the ‘hearts-on’ learning will nurture students who care for the community and society.

This approach is the foundation of your ITE education, where you integrate theory with practice through coursework, industry exposure and community projects. It is also your unique advantage in our economy.

Integration Camp 2006: The Journey Continues
4. I am heartened that this annual Integration camp gives you an opportunity to put that three-pronged approach into practice. The theme for this year’s camp is “The Journey Continues”. This theme was chosen because it serves as a reminder that your journey of learning should continue throughout your life. As the saying goes, ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. You have begun your journey by being here. Even though the camp ends today, the experiences you have gained, the lessons you have learnt, and the friendships you have nurtured during this camp, will stand you in good stead as continue your journey into adulthood and become members of the workforce.

5. I am encouraged by the presence of mentors among you. These mentors were like you when they first attended the Integration Camp. Having benefited from their learning experience, they now have returned to share with you and guide you as you make your journey. I hope that you will continue this mentoring spirit by returning to share with the next batch of participants of the Integration Camp.
Just as Muhammad Hasni has done. He was from ITE Dover, and was a participant at a previous camp in 2000, but his participation did not end when that camp ended. Instead, he continued his journey by chairing the Integration Camp organising committee for the last three years, was appointed Project bITE’s Vice-Chairman in 2005, and is currently a member of 4PM’s management committee.

6. Looking at all of you here, I can see that you have all enjoyed yourselves very much during this camp. I am sure that you have benefited from the activities and workshops conducted during the camp, and that it has also enhanced your learning experience and inspired you to display exemplary behaviour in training, and show care and concern for other participants.

Taking up the Challenge
7. I was told that the highlight of previous Integration Camps was Project Challenge, and this year is no different. This year’s challenge required you to work with your team-mates to develop a new product or improve on an existing one under tight budget and time constraints, and then come up with ideas to batch produce it, package it, and sell it to raise funds for charity.

I understand that it would also eventually give some of you the opportunity to work with industry leaders to get the product developed for the market. However, the aim of this project is not to bring you fame and recognition.

8. Instead, Project Challenge seeks to engage the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that is in each and every one of you, and serves to inspire you to develop a willingness to take on challenges in order to bring out the best in yourself. Creativity and innovation are two attributes which we hope to see in our young people. They are useful for your life journey. You will have to take the initiative and be willing to do things differently in order to make yourselves stand out from others. You have heard and seen examples of how your seniors have defied stereotypes and overcome the odds to prove what they were capable of. I hope that their life-stories will inspire you to similar success as you build on your gifts and talents, and seek to achieve your dreams. I look forward to seeing the products of your creativity and innovation later.

9. More importantly, I hope that as you seek to fulfil your dreams, you will take time to nurture a caring and giving heart so that you can share with others in the community what you have learned and gained. I am confident that you will be able to handle whatever comes your way, and that you will persevere in the face of difficulties to achieve your dreams, and help others you meet along the way who are not as fortunate as yourselves. All this will not just be for yourself, your friends, or your family, but also for your larger community of friends and family that is Singapore.

Conclusion
10. Let me conclude by congratulating 4PM and the camp committee for successfully embracing youth from various social, ethnic and religious backgrounds, and providing them with the opportunity to discover their potential and talents together, and as individuals. I hope to see more of such collaborations as ITE continues to work closely with social agencies to add value to the ITE brand of education. I wish both 4PM and ITE success in future collaborations, and also wish all of you the very best in your future endeavours.