By Jane Ng

LEISURE and travel, interior design and landscaping are programmes introduced at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) this year to inject more diversity into its course offerings.

Students now have a choice of 73 courses, compared with 25 more than 10 years ago. Then, the courses concentrated mainly on the engineering and electronics trades.

Apart from expanding its course range, there are also more tie-ups with renowned overseas institutions, like French culinary school Institut Paul Bocuse.

The expansion of its offerings, both local and overseas, is part of the bigger plan to improve the image and education at ITE, which takes in students from the bottom 25 per cent of each cohort, said chief executive Bruce Poh.

'In the past, it was a buffet with 25 dishes. Now we have 73 dishes, and it's not just local food but also French, Italian and Japanese. It's very exciting. There are areas where there's a hybrid of courses because the industry needs it,' he said.

The large variety of courses has also drawn more students over the years, doubling enrolment from about 12,400 in the 1990s to more than 25,000 in the ITE's three colleges today.

Mr Poh said a range of factors has contributed to the rise in numbers.

Going into specific specialisations works well for both the industry and students. 'Instead of one big wok, it's now one small plate each. Very niche. Students have more choices while the industry finds the different niches serving it better,' said Mr Poh.

The type of education provided has also evolved over the years to one which provides more authentic learning situations. For instance, the ITE has its own 'hangar' in Yishun for its students taking aerospace courses - where retired military or commercial aircraft serve as training facilities for the students.

The aerospace technology course, which is among the most popular at ITE, takes in 100 students each year but is at least four times oversubscribed.

Second-year student Udaya Kumar Dilip, 18, said his interest in the course - which consists of 70 per cent practical work - has spurred him to work harder.

'I get to do a lot of hands-on work which I like. I have many questions to ask and I'm more interested in studying than when I was in secondary school,' he said.

Students in the paramedic course, which was started last year, also get to try their hands at providing first aid in an ambulance simulator, which rocks and moves as if it is moving on the road.

An outdoor simulation even has an injured 'person' pinned under a car and a system which simulates rain so student paramedics can get hands-on practice in such situations.

Another example is the nursing programme where students work on patient models that can blink their eyes, react to injections and even die on them.

This hands-on approach works well for ITE students, said Mr Poh.

Apart from having a specific pedagogy and industry-relevant courses, the third component in improving an ITE education is to build proper infrastructure, added Mr Poh. Its eastern campus in Simei has changed the public perception of an ITE, said Mr Poh, but more can be done.

'Many people still have the impression that the ITE is a very rundown workshop somewhere. But now, more people understand that we don't stint when it comes to infrastructure. Coming to the ITE is as good as a polytechnic or university in terms of facilities, education and amenities we provide,' he said.

In line with this, two new campuses are opening their doors over the next three years: College West in Choa Chu Kang next year and College Central in Ang Mo Kio in 2012.

For Mr Poh, who took over as chief executive of ITE in 2007, it is about believing that each student has his own talent.

'They're like raw diamonds. It's how you polish them and make them shine... It just depends on how we develop them and give them opportunities,' he said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.