Republic Poly Change Tack

The Straits Time, 20. Jan. 2009

To help its students, Republic Poly will encourage them to take part in team-building activities at its adventure learning centre. Trainers, like Ms Lim Xin Yi, 22, will help them. The poly will also introduce internships, reversing its earlier policy. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

REPUBLIC Polytechnic (RP), the first poly to operate without internships, has reversed its policy after feedback from employers showed that some of its students were not properly prepared for work.

Its new principal, Mr Yeo Li Pheow, 48, who took over last July, said he had received similar feedback from students who had graduated.

Currently, RP students are asked to do a professional profiling project where students analyse an industry, a company or an issue to have a better understanding of their area of study, in place of an internship with a company. This is not the case in the other four polys, where an on-the-job training stint of about six months is the norm.

Some have gone even further: Temasek Poly students can, for example, source internships with companies they wish to join, while at Nanyang Poly, students get to go to far-flung countries like France, Germany and Japan for their attachments.

Some have gone even further: Temasek Poly students can, for example, source internships with companies they wish to join, while at Nanyang Poly, students get to go to far-flung countries like France, Germany and Japan for their attachments.

'A lot of employers prefer someone with attachment experience. If I had done one, I would have gained more confidence and have something to write on my resume,' she said.

Potential students have also made their opinions heard on Internet forums, said Mr Yeo. 'We went to forums and saw potential students saying they are not sure whether RP engages with the industry. We want to change that perception,' he said.

Potential students have also made their opinions heard on Internet forums, said Mr Yeo. 'We went to forums and saw potential students saying they are not sure whether RP engages with the industry. We want to change that perception,' he said.

So from next month, students will start industry attachments, or internships, lasting either eight weeks or 18 weeks.

To begin with, RP is aiming for at least 10 per cent of its students to gain experience in the workplace before they graduate. The eventual goal will be for all second- or third-year students to have a taste of work life before they graduate.

Also, from April, the start of the poly's school year, two out of the 10 modules that students take in the first year will have to be related to their course. Currently, all 10 first-year modules are broad-based courses such as enterprise development, team skills and basic financial processes. They are common to all students and not directly related to their disciplines.

The change will give students an introduction to their chosen industry immediately. All students will also be encouraged to take part in team-building activities at the poly's adventure learning centre to build up their self-confidence. On top of this, all final-year projects will have to be relevant to the student's appropriate industry.

It is not just students who will be affected. Lecturers will also be attached to various companies so that they can build contacts, stay relevant and bring their experiences back to the classroom.

Of the changes, Mr Yeo said he decided to introduce internships immediately as feedback from industry players showed having an attachment would add value to his students when they graduate.

He added that he welcomed the feedback: 'It is useful for us because we are new. We can fine tune and improve because of it,' said Mr Yeo.

Third-year integrated events management student Addison Soh, 20, said having practical experience was especially important for his area of study. 'Theory doesn't always work, so some hands-on experience would be very useful,' he said.

The industry focus is just one part of a rebranding effort Mr Yeo intends to take RP through. He also wants to 'sell' RP to its potential students.

RP staff will visit 40 secondary schools near its Woodlands campus to provide more information to would-be students.

'Branding is extremely important. We want to tell people what we're doing, rather than have them discuss what they think RP is doing or worse, talk (negatively) about us,' said Mr Yeo.

Mr Yeo hopes to improve student quality and further increase the 'market share' of students picking RP as first choice. This has already improved from last year's 3 per cent to the current 7 per cent.

RP, which now has slightly more than 10,000 students, will have 11,200 students with its April intake. It will reach its full capacity of 13,200 students next year.