ITE Singapore visits UTAR

A total of 77 visitors from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore made their way across the causeway to pay UTAR Perak Campus a visit on 17 June 2014.

The 70 students, who were on their five-day-four-night Overseas Cultural and Educational Visit, were led by seven ITE staff, namely Student Services Senior Manager Sim Kee Leong, Student Management Head Koh-Leng Loo Lan, Electronics Senior Lecturer-Mentor Yong-Chow Lai Chun, Marine Offshore Engineering lecturer David Kwan, Digital Animation lecturer Vince Lau, Business Services lecturer Chew-Lew Wan Lai and Students Services Officer Joanna Chung Suet Kim. They were cordially received by UTAR staff and students from the UTAR Peer Mentoring Programme (PMP).

The ITE students, who are also the institute’s Bridge Leaders, were first introduced to the University’s humble beginnings, its remarkable progress and prodigious achievements throughout the years through the UTAR Corporate Video presentation. This was followed by a briefing by PMP representative Lim Jing Wei.

“The PMP is a programme which offers a connecting bridge between seniors and university freshmen. The senior students, in this case the mentors, will spend almost a month in assisting the freshmen to adjust to the campus life at UTAR Perak. This is done through providing guidance and support to the freshmen,” the Year One Trimester One Psychology student explained.

A brief Q&A session ensued with the enthusiastic visitors learning the various bonding activities by PMP from UTAR Department of Students Affairs (DSA) Perak Campus student counsellors Ng Foo Yek and Melanie Lee Yen Ying.

The visit concluded after a campus tour with the visitors being swept off their feet by the Perak campus. ITE student Neo Yuxiu expressed her delight to visit the ex-tin mining town of Kampar and this beautiful campus. “This campus environment is very attractive and beautiful with naturalistic values. We’re impressed with the campus surroundings and facilities which are conducive for students.”

The ITE Bridge Leaders play a pivotal role in student peer mentoring by assisting the new students to adapt to college life and at the same time, providing peer support to current students through events that spur interaction amongst students.

Lim introducing PMP to the visitors

Student counsellor Lee explaining to the visitors about PMP activities

Ng (right) presenting a memento to Sim on behalf of DSA Perak

Sim (left) reciprocated by presenting a token of appreciation to Ng

Perak Campus Department of Estates and Facilities Head En Abdul Majid bin Mohd Gani (far right) leading the visitors on a campus tour

A group photo of the ITE visitors and PMP students