I REFER to Mr Chee Joo Hian's letter ('I have questions') regarding our overseas industrial training attachments. Our students' safety and well-being are paramount, more so when they go overseas on any of our programmes.

Currently, we have students on attachment to companies and educational institutions in various cities in China, including Beijing, Changchun, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xi'an and Jiamusi in Heilongjiang province.

Heilongjiang was chosen as it provides training opportunities in engineering. At all times, we have staff and/or training partners physically present at each location to assist our students.

Since starting our overseas industrial training programme as early as 1992, we have constantly fine-tuned the standard operating procedures for due diligence. Before committing to an industrial training programme, our staff visit potential training partners and sites to assess the suitability of the training facilities, accommodation, vicinity and access to emergency services. We will not commit to a training programme until and unless we are fully satisfied that the conditions meet our requirements and expectations for safety and learning.

Prior to leaving for their industrial attachments, our students are required to pass an online Workplace Safety and Health training. They must attend a compulsory pre-departure briefing, which is also open to their parents. At the briefing, we advise them on the dos and don'ts, including guidelines on places to avoid, appropriate behaviour, the disciplinary action that will be taken for misconduct, cultural and social differences, living expenses and personal care and hygiene. On arrival overseas, our training partner again conducts a similar briefing.

These procedures were closely followed before we sent our students to Heilongjiang. In addition to the physical presence of staff from our training partner, we also sent Singapore Polytechnic staff to visit our students during their first two weeks of attachment to check on how they had settled in and their training environment. Our training partner kept a close watch on the students. Students had contact details of whom to call in case of emergency.

We constantly review our programmes and procedures for overseas industrial training. Following the Heilongjiang incident, I will be travelling with a senior staff member to the province and other parts of China to reassess their suitability for future industrial training programmes. Where necessary, we will further tighten our procedures, because our students' safety and well-being are our highest priority.

Lim Peng Hun
Deputy Principal
Singapore Polytechnic

This article was first published in The Straits Times.