Annual Report 2022/23

Joint Message from our Chairman and Principal & CEO

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Temasek Polytechnic (TP) Chairman Mr Loke Wai San and Principal & CEO Mr Peter Lam share key highlights of TP’s visionary journey of advancing innovation, empowering lives and communities, and shaping individuals into lifelong learners, leaders and creators beyond the present — a journey powered by our new tagline, Creating Tomorrow.

Wai San: We kicked off this reporting year with the fantastic news that TP was ranked 42 out of the top 200 employers in the nation! This recognition by Straits Times Singapore’s Best Employers 2022 survey is testament to the incredible spirit of our colleagues.  

Peter: For our high-spirited educators to continue excelling in helping Pre-employment Training (PET) and Continuing Education & Training (CET) students realise their lifelong ambitions and aspirations, TP must evolve in this ever-changing global economy. This led to the birth of our new tagline, Creating Tomorrow.

Wai San: Creating Tomorrow resonates deeply with TP’s mission and vision. It is a call to action to further propel our journey towards educational excellence — to see new possibilities, build on new opportunities and transform learning at TP into an exciting experience of co-creation and discovery.

Through live industry briefs, projects, internships, global exposure to exciting new trends and ideas, to an industry-relevant and forward-thinking curriculum, our PET and CET students are shaped into future-oriented, skilled professionals with the mindsets and skills to make a difference wherever life takes them.

Peter: Creating Tomorrow also reflects the values we cherish most — care, courage and passion. This purposeful spirit drives our TP Family to embrace the power of caring for one another, and to spread that kindness to our wider communities. That courage, fuelled by passion, emboldens us to tread further into uncharted territory in pursuit of what truly matters.

Peter: TP has long embraced our responsibility for the environment and the significance of sustainability. Therefore, we are thrilled to deepen our expertise by partnering with the Singapore Fashion Council to actively address the fashion industry’s environmental and social challenges. Together, we aim to drive programmes on sustainable practices in this industry, from raw material extraction to post-consumption. Plans are underway to set up a new Centre of Excellence in TP that will explore and provide opportunities such as joint projects, consultancy services, internships and specialised learning.

Wai San: Another notable example is our collaboration with Japanese food tech giant, Fuji Oil. The team comprising TP’s School of Applied Science students, research scientists and lecturers took food sustainability and the use of alternative protein to another level by creating meat-free local delights such as satay, rendang and laksa. These healthy, delicious dishes are winners in my book.

Peter: Speaking of winners, a multidisciplinary School of Engineering student team upgraded our award-winning TP Eco Flash car and took it to race at the 2022 Shell Eco-marathon Race in Indonesia. Powered by a patented hydrogen fuel cell developed by researchers from TP’s Clean Energy Research Centre and Duralite Power Pte Ltd, the TP Eco Flash crew clinched a first-place finish for the third time in the competition’s Hydrogen Urban Concept Category!

Wai San: Competitions are excellent opportunities for students from various TP schools and disciplines to join forces to utilise their strengths and develop confidence in their abilities. Teaming up, students from TP’s Schools of Applied Science, Engineering and Informatics & IT successfully created a solar-powered device that uses algae and calcium carbonate to absorb and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

Titled ‘Project Breathe Easy’, the team won the top prize in the tertiary level category of the Green Wave Environmental Care Project for Schools 2022.

Peter: TP can boast of many start-up successes over the years thanks to Temasek Launchpad — our facility that provides enterprising TP students and alumni access to incubation spaces, including a unique ecosystem of support, guidance and networking opportunities.

This year is no different. Our start-up highlights include Castomize Technologies whose revolutionary 4D-printed orthopaedic cast won multiple awards across Asia in 2022, multidisciplinary creative agency Framethefolks that received the $50,000 StartupSG Founder Grant from Enterprise Singapore in August 2022 and which it will use to scale up operations, and social enterprise SpedGrow that created an inclusive software to allow vulnerable individuals with special needs to pick up financial literacy skills to lead an independent life.

Wai San: We also congratulate our Diploma in Applied Food Science & Nutrition alumnus, Ramesh Krish Kumar. In 2018, he co-founded Asmara^®️ Singapore, which specialises in science-based beverages, snacks, edible cosmetics and elixirs inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and Jamu. Under his leadership, Asmara grew into a renowned brand and received three angel investment amounts totalling more than S$1 million. In December 2022, the company was fully acquired by a European pharmaceutical and nutraceutical conglomerate, making it one of TP's top entrepreneurial success stories!

Peter: TP relies on our experienced trainers and lecturers to equip working adults with substantive skills to stay relevant in the workforce. Therefore, we are heartened to report that our academic staff's participation in developing and/or delivering CET courses has increased from 80% in 2021 to almost 90% this year.

Wai San: We took the opportunity to convert TP’s Future Conversation Series (FCS) from an online format to a physical event when Singapore eased COVID-19 social distancing measures. Two FCS physical events were organised this reporting year, providing networking opportunities and expert insights into the high-profile fields of sustainability and digital transformation. Almost 200 members of the public and working adults looking to update their knowledge and skills registered their attendance.

Peter: We also expanded our CET capabilities through various partnerships. Notable collaborations include Generation Singapore with whom we launched two courses under the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme to support mid-career professionals pivoting into the tech sector, Warees Halal Pte Ltd to offer the Fundamentals of Food Science & Halal Certification Management course in support of growth in the halal food and beverage sector, and Mars Veterinary Health (MVH) Asia to train and upskill Singapore’s veterinary practitioners.

Wai San: To deepen collaborations with industry partners, TP also inked agreements with ST Engineering Land Systems, HRG Singapore Holdings Pte Ltd, Far East Hospitality, National Institute of Early Childhood Development and AETOS Holdings Pte Ltd to explore, develop and offer new CET programmes in Industry 4.0 sectors, digital transformation in advanced manufacturing, robotics and automation, hospitality services, early childhood education and security technology.

Peter: On the subject of security, we were happy to have gone international with our professional experience and expertise this year! Teaming up with leading security solutions provider AETOS, we conducted a training programme for Brunei Darussalam’s largest security company, Setia Protective Security Services (SPSS). 

This was no mean feat as SPSS is the only agency authorised to provide security services for the sultanate’s government ministries, VVIP locations, embassies and other national key points. This training collaboration is TP’s first for security organisations outside Singapore.

Wai San: The TP Family unites in celebration whenever our efforts to mould future generations of talents are recognised. Notably this year, TP's School of Business bagged its sixth Hospitality Institution of the Year title at the World Gourmet Awards 2022, and TP’s School of Design was again named Institution of the Year for the sixth year running at Crowbar Awards 2022!

Peter: We also want to congratulate our School of Applied Science colleague, Dr Maisha Foo, for her nomination as a President’s Award for Teachers (PAT) 2022 finalist. Dr Foo’s dedication in empowering students to achieve their fullest potential, and adopting innovative teaching methods and approaches make her a worthy PAT finalist honouree indeed. 

Wai San: Sporting excellence is synonymous with Team Temasek athletes. At the Polytechnic-Institute of Technical Education (POLITE) Games 2022/2023, we were delighted that our sportsmen and sportswomen clinched 15 Gold, eight Silver and six Bronze medals, with a respectable nine sports teams recording successful title defences.

Additionally, Team Temasek maintained our winning form at the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games. Our medal tally of four Gold, three Silver and one Bronze made us the best-performing polytechnic at the IVP Games 2022/2023.

Peter: WorldSkills competitions are the standard bearer of skills excellence, pushing participants to elevate their chosen skills to a higher level. That is why we are so proud of our students who headed overseas and brought home four Medallions for Excellence at WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, as well as our students who claimed two Gold, two Silver, six Bronze medals and eight Medallions for Excellence at WorldSkills Singapore National Competition 2023.

Wai San: Witnessing our students step up and rise to the occasion is always a delight. With support from the Singapore Women in Tech group under the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), a cross-polytechnic Girls in Tech Student Interest Group was established to support young women pursuing infocomm technology at the five polytechnics. Ms Krystal Lim Yun Shi from TP’s Diploma in Financial Business Informatics was appointed the first president of this new group which aims to develop, retain and deepen girls’ interest in tech-related fields.

Wai San: Peter and I would like to thank our staff, students, alumni and donors for joining us in TP’s new Creating Tomorrow journey. Our heartfelt thanks as well to TP’s Board of Governors, School Advisory Committees and industry partners for their generous support, guidance and wisdom. TP’s many accomplishments and achievements would not have been possible without their contributions and dedication.

Peter: On behalf of the TP Family, I extend my deepest appreciation to Mr Lee Kok Choy, who stepped down as TP Chairman on 30 April 2023. For almost a decade, Kok Choy’s vision, guidance and commitment have led TP through many significant milestones and inspired us to attain new standards of excellence.

Wai San: Yes, thank you, Kok Choy. We all wish you a well-deserved retirement, filled with joy, relaxation and new adventures! In addition, we also thank members who have stepped down from the Board of Governors for their service and contributions to TP: Brigadier General Goh Pei Ming, Mr Adrian Tan, Mr Tan Kai Hoe, Mr Russell Tham and Prof Alex Siow. At the same time, we welcome new members who have joined the Board of Governors: Mr Jeff Cheong, Ms Lisa Liaw, Ms Tan Lee Chew and Brigadier General Xu Youfeng.

Peter: Ultimately, Creating Tomorrow promises unlimited possibilities in a world primed for positive changes and sustainable solutions. That is why, in March 2023, TP joined the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment’s Green Nation Pledge.

Wai San: This is on top of our ongoing conservation and sustainability efforts, of which we are proud to share that from 2018 to 2022, TP reduced our energy consumption by more than 28%, water consumption by more than 18% and waste generation by 50%. 

As a One TP Family, we strive to increase meaningful contributions and collaborations to preserve and protect our planet's resources. Peter and I look forward to reporting more exciting news of how TP is Creating Tomorrow for many generations to come.