SINGAPORE - While many fresh graduates worry about finding employment during the pandemic, Mr Daniel Ezzra Adly B Mohamed has not only secured a job as a field engineer, but also topped his cohort at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
Mr Daniel, 23, was the top trainee in the security systems engineering work-study diploma course. He had the best academic grades and the top performance on the job, as rated by employers.
On Tuesday (Dec 8), he received a course medal from Second Education Minister Maliki Osman at a virtual ceremony.
The course was one of four offered under ITE's work-study technical diploma programme when it was launched in 2018.
A total of 62 trainees from security systems engineering, rehabilitation care as well as mechanical and electrical services supervision were among the pioneer batch who completed their training in October and received the work-study diploma.
Trainees from the marine and offshore engineering course will graduate in April next year.
Under this work-study diploma programme, students are hired by partner companies as full-time salaried staff, and 70 per cent of the curriculum time comprises on-the-job training. They are awarded their diploma certificates after the stint.
Mr Daniel said: "The 70-30 split (in terms of job training and classroom learning respectively) is very good.
"At work, I learnt inter-personal skills, customer relations and how to be professional in the work field, while ITE gave me a basic foundation of knowledge... when I went to work sites, it felt more familiar and not so foreign."
As a field engineer with Certis Technology (Singapore), his role entails visiting customers' sites to help them maintain their equipment such as security cameras and access control systems, and resolve issues.
He said he is glad to have secured a job amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in a year where many graduates may be struggling.
"I feel like I took a right step right from the beginning ... This programme kills two birds with one stone because you get to further your education while working and drawing a full-time salary."
