Orient - The Official Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore - Issue 72 June 2019
MATTERS OF OPINION: OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION
John Bittleston, Founder Mentor, Terrific Mentors International Pte Ltd
“Mentoring, coaching and training are all flourishing as companies recognise the need to upskill and change. It is becoming clear to clients that digitisation and artificial intelligence require people to have an even bigger reskilling in soft skills than in technology which increasingly is skilling itself. Britain still has creative abilities above most other countries. Singapore is modifying its disciplinarian rigour to allow for more experimenting. If I had the power, I would swop a whole cohort of NUS or SMU students for one term with a similar cohort from Cambridge or Oxford. The results would be profound. Interdependence is being recognised as the only basis for a world required to change at the pace we now are. Technology and its fallout is demanding speeds ten thousand times what was required ten years ago. Only bold moves like the one I suggest will see us safely through the next decade.”
Rupert Macey, Managing Director (Asia), UpSkill People
“With changes in the way people work, it’s more evident than ever that companies need to invest in their people to both retain them and keep them engaged. A combination of a younger workforce and advancements in technology means the way people develop their teams has become outdated. Technology and new ways of working, such as millennial habits, become mainstream quickly. Even more so when they’re effective. But how are Asian companies approaching their management development? It seems to be lower down the agenda than it should be? We’ve created a ground-breaking documentary-style online series that gives management development a long overdue invitation into the 21st century. We’ve focused on measuring the effects, and the results for our UK clients have taken us by surprise. We’re now starting to see the same positive effects in the Asian market.”
X-Press Feeders
“As a global feeder service provider, X-PRESS FEEDERS believes in providing ample opportunities for education and lifelong learning. Annually, we aim to sponsor four maritime studies tertiary students for a career at sea on our operating vessels and/or join us later on a shore based job. As part of the education sponsorship, these students receive comprehensive training in phases, acquiring a wide range of critical skills through onboard vessels training under guidance from an experience mentor. Organisationally, X-PRESS FEEDERS recognizes the need to introduce succession planning as part of our talent management strategy. As such, employees who exhibit aptitude in leadership and excellent analytic skills will be shortlisted and offered a management trainee scheme to further their studies in London Business School. Upon their graduation, they will return to take on high level leadership roles in X-PRESS FEEDERS global offices.”
Graham Silverthorne, Head, UWCSEA East
“Online learning is both an opportunity and a challenge for educational establishments. Certainly, it can no longer be the truth that a teacher is a gatekeeper of knowledge - but good teaching has never been about simply filling the pail, it has always been about lighting the fires. And that is the essential challenge of online provision. As technology becomes more sophisticated and more interactive, there are great opportunities for learners to augment, sometimes even replace, traditional classrooms lessons. But we are all familiar with the current narrative around 'soft' skills which are increasingly becoming understood to be 'essential' skills - these skills are much harder to learn through any online application. One cannot learn communication skills working alone with a pair of headphones on. So the advancing technology is a long way away from replacing what happens in learning communities. Our challenge is to take the best of what is available, think about personalising, enabling and diversifying - without ever compromising on our belief that relationships and emotional connection have always been, and will always be, at the heart of deep understanding.”
Dr Paresh Kathrani, Director of Education and Training, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)
“One of the core elements of education is naturally ‘knowledge’. Now that information is everywhere, the means of acquiring knowledge and mastery is naturally changing. Experiential and practical learning is becoming even more important. It’s not just about learning by reading, but learning by doing. Even the applied opportunities afforded by a combination of online and face to face learning can be beneficial for students. Hands on activities are also crucial. It’s important that training courses blend in practical exercises and opportunities for students. Collaboration can be good too. Encouraging students to work together can provide great opportunities to embed and develop knowledge. Emodules are also growing in popularity because their provide a good opportunity for learning by doing. Emodules is something that we will be expanding into in the future.”
Tanglin Trust School
“Key trends in the international school space are increasing diversity – both in terms of the expatriate community and in terms of the variety of schools in the market – and increased access to technology to support learning. The resulting opportunities can be summed up as an increasing vibrancy in the sector. With more international schools opening in Singapore, there are more opportunities for collaboration for teachers and students. Technology has had a huge impact on pedagogy in recent years, with affordable mobile devices and wireless networks giving students and teachers access to a wealth of information and digital tools. In this fast-changing world, the key challenge is to prepare lifelong learners for the next stage of their learning journey, without knowing exactly what the future will look like. Character strengths and transferrable skills are increasingly important, alongside academic endeavours – a holistic approach which is a long tradition in UK schools.”