Hougang Secondary students turn day-old bread into sweet victory at ITE skills competition

SINGAPORE - Three students from Hougang Secondary School upcycled day-old bread to make skincare products, breathing new life into food waste.

For their innovation, they were one of the winners on May 20 at the ignITE Skills Challenge 2025 finals, a competition organised by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Held at ITE College Central, the annual contest is designed for secondary school students to explore technical skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the courses offered by the institution.

After receiving feedback during the preliminary rounds that their face mask had a short shelf life, the team replaced yoghurt with kaolin clay and added essential oils to improve longevity and give the product a more appealing aroma.

“As teenagers start to get acne, they will feel insecure about themselves. We aimed to create skincare products to aid them,” said Secondary 3 student Wong Hong Xi, 14, one of the team members.

“Beyond this competition, I want to continue fixing this project’s flaws,” he said, adding that he hopes to start a business in skincare in the future.

The team clinched first place in one of the categories, BreadCycle Challenge: Innovate and Repurpose, where participants were tasked to upcycle day-old bread into other items.

Among the participating schools, Spectra Secondary School emerged as the overall champion, bagging the most trophies across the 16 challenges.

These challenges include Ultimate Robotic Claw, where students control a robotic arm to sort and move objects, and The Business Enterprise, where students manage a new start-up.

In a speech at the event, ITE chief executive Low Khah Gek said: “ignITE Skills Challenge is more than just a competition.

“It is an invaluable opportunity for students to learn and then apply their knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios.”

Now in its ninth year, the competition has evolved with the times, featuring 16 skills challenges under three key themes: smarter innovations, sustainability and entrepreneurship.

The 2025 challenge drew the highest number of sign-ups in the past five years, with 1,767 students from 63 secondary schools. 

Some students said the competition gave them a new sense of direction in their studies. “This challenge inspired me to look deeper into entrepreneurship and business courses,” said Hong Xi.

Students from Spectra Secondary encouraged those who are interested in hands-on skills to take the leap.

Together with their teammates, Secondary 4 students Reyhan Kuthubudeen and Mohammed Audi, both 16, came up with prototypes of coasters made from expired bread. Both teenagers hope to enrol in the pastry and baking course at ITE College West.

Said Reyhan: “Don’t be afraid. Even if you lose, at least you have had some experience in the areas that you can improve on.”