Unconventional ITE diploma courses in Singapore

Being denizens of the 21st century, it isn’t too uncommon to bump into someone working in an offbeat line of work. We’ve got those who dabble in the arts, home bakers-turned-cafe owners, and the occasional social media influencer. But, have you met someone who’s taken up a diploma in horticulture, or a beauty practitioner whose CV includes representing Singapore in international competitions?

Well, look no further; just ask Justin and Christine, 2 students currently pursuing an education with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). We sat down with them to get the ins and outs of journeying the road less travelled, having chosen to take unconventional diploma courses with the school themselves.

From aerospace dreams to beautifying spaces with greenery

The field of floristry is not exactly a male-dominated industry, and as far as men go with flowers, their brush with the dainty little things only come by on special occasions like Valentine’s Day and anniversaries. It was the same for Justin Leong Jia Weng, 27, as floristry wasn’t his first choice when it came to picking out courses during his admission into ITE.

Image adapted from: Justin Leong

“Growing up, I liked aircraft and wanted to become a technician just like my dad,” he recalled. “But after enrolling in the course, I realised I didn’t like the engineering part.” As such, after graduating from the Nitec in Aerospace Technology course and completing his National Service obligations in 2020,  he was at crossroads regarding his future aspirations.

He then decided to make a bold switch and enrolled himself in ITE’s Nitec in Floristry* course.

In fact, it was one of the courses he had indicated interest in while settling on his tertiary studies post-secondary school, but it placed 9th on his ladder of 12 options. He had always wanted to give it a try, and he thought that there couldn’t be a better time to give it a shot after his stint as an engineer.

*Note: Starting from 2022, under the new 3-year enhanced Higher Nitec curricular, ITE no longer offers the Nitec in Floristry course. It has been replaced by the Higher Nitec in Landscape Management & Design course. 

What do you learn in a floristry course?

Now, back to the initial question regarding Justin’s interest in pursuing a career in horticulture. Make no mistake, Justin did not have a compelling drive to deal with plants on a daily basis; he just thought the idea of sprucing up an area with biophilic elements was cool.

Justin with his classmates during a terrarium and hamper-making class.
Image credit: Justin Leong

And that was it. The proverbial stars aligned, and he was soon sprouting a green thumb of his own. Justin initially thought of hopping courses as he was just testing the waters with this whole floristry stint, but after performing well in his first exams 6 months into the course, he never looked back.

From table arrangements to bouquets to wreaths, Justin could do it all.
Image adapted from: Justin Leong

Obviously, we had to ask: what exactly do you learn in a floristry course? Justin then took a trip down memory lane with us, highlighting some of the modules he took while he was in the course. He was taught how to adorn events such as weddings, opening ceremonies, and funerals with flower decorations of all sorts of arrangements.

In particular, he vividly remembered participating in a class activity which saw him crafting a box-like structure out of pussywillow sticks. Students in the class had to create one each, and then they stacked them on top of each other to form a Christmas tree of sorts to commemorate the holidays.

Far East Flora’s massive 11-storey mall in Clementi.

Justin would then put all the knowledge and skills he had picked up in school to practical use during an internship he was required to complete as part of his course. He managed to land one with Far East Flora, a longstanding florist chain in Singapore.

“It was a very hands-on experience,” remarked Justin. “I really got a taste of what people do in the industry; it was tiring, but fun.” He got to work on packing orders for real customers, which mainly consisted of arranging flowers according to a catalogue of hampers.

Jump starting his career with ITE’s Work-Study Diploma course

However, Justin’s bout with ITE didn’t end after his graduation from the Nitec in Floristry course in 2022. He opted to supplement his foray into the industry with a Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) in Arboriculture and Horticulture.

Image credit: ITE

As its name implies, Justin was able to jumpstart his career while working towards a nationally recognised diploma. In his case, he works a full-time job and is employed by TTK Services Pte Ltd, a company that specialises in landscape design, maintenance, and arboriculture works.

He reports to work 5 days a week which includes Saturdays, and goes back to school for a whole day of studies at ITE College East every Wednesday. Although things might get a tad hectic juggling school and his day job at TTK Services, he is coping well with the workload so far.

While he’s studying on the side, Justin has to tend to daily tasks as a Landscape Coordinator, like having meetings with clients to discuss landscaping works and managing a team of workers under him. “Especially during exam periods, sometimes I have to answer calls and reply to messages while I’m doing my school stuff,” said Justin. “But you just need to find time to do both.”

Perhaps it is exactly his hardy nature that has enabled him to thrive under the WSDip programme. As a student of the programme, his course fees are fully borne by his employers, and he also receives a monthly allowance.

As an added bonus, he states that the $10,000 CPF OA top-up that he’ll receive upon completion of the course as part of the ITE Progression Award will go a long way in alleviating future housing costs.

Having a burning passion for beauty & wellness from the start

As for another ITE graduate, Christine Huang Yan Xin, 19, knew right from the get-go that she wanted to hone her passion for beauty therapy. As such, she ultimately landed a spot in ITE’s Nitec in Beauty and Wellness course.

Image credit: ITE

Christine was 12 when she became an avid fan of watching make-up tutorials and nail design videos on social media, which sparked her interest in the art of prettying others up to look their best. She enrolled in the school’s Beauty and Wellness course after a year in its Nursing course, a career she thought was meaningful but was ultimately not her cup of tea.

What do you learn in a Beauty & Wellness course?

Although not as uncommon as lesser-known courses like floristry, we were still quite surprised when Christine gave us the low-down on what she learnt in her Beauty and Wellness course. As you’d expect, she was equipped with all the skills and knowledge to carry out common beauty procedures.

Christine performing a beauty therapy treatment on a fellow coursemate during her training on campus.
Image credit: ITE

“Practical-wise, we learnt how to do facials, body massage, nails, mani pedi, and waxing services,” she remarked. “Theory-wise, we do learn about the anatomy and physiology of the skin and body.”

Christine also shared with us that while she found treatments like facials easy to pick up as the steps came naturally to her, it was in fact makeup which she found herself fumbling with. “I thought make-up would be fun as I’m more interested in it, but I found it to be most challenging,” noted Christine.

She also described the intricacies of applying make-up, such as “basing the make-up on your subject’s face shape, the contour of each person, and the difficulty of balancing the eyeliner.” As a dude who can’t tell foundation from concealer, it was indeed quite the eye-opener listening to someone who knows her stuff like Christine go in-depth about her craft.

Another interesting tidbit Christine shared was having to test out her acquired skills on her classmates. It goes without saying that playing guinea pigs went both ways, and she had her fair share of feeling the sting from her peers’ trial and error, especially for procedures like waxing.

“When we first started learning, some people might not know how to stretch the skin, so it might be quite painful,” she winced. “Because for waxing we really need to know the technique and be quick.”

Representing Singapore in international competitions

All that practice and a series of practical lessons that ran 5 hours at a time, coupled with Christine’s grit to excel in her course, eventually landed her a spot in the team which represented Singapore in the Worldskills ASEAN 2023 competition. It is an international competition in which youths from the ASEAN region showcase their expertise in various skill areas.

Image credit: WorldSkills Singapore

Last year’s edition was held in Singapore, and Christine managed to win a gold medal in the Beauty Therapy category in front of the local crowd. “I felt very proud of myself, being able to represent Singapore,” she said. “And my skills also improved while preparing for the tournament because I’ve been training every day and for very long hours.”

She was preparing for the competition 6 months in advance, and was practising from 8am to 6pm every day, while going for classes and managing her schoolwork with the pockets of time in between. The school was behind her 100% of the way, as they provided all the equipment, products, and access to the labs that Christine needed for her training.

Christine (extreme right) alongside her classmate and fellow WorldSkills ASEAN 2023 participant Sim Pei Wen (extreme left), with their coaches and mentors.
Image credit: WorldSkills Singapore

Her teachers’ unwavering support was also paramount to her success in the competition. They were a mere text or phone call away whenever Christine needed guidance, at the ready even after hours.

Fast forward to today, Christine is currently gearing up for the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 tournament happening halfway around the world in France this September. This is a step up from the ASEAN variant of the competition, as she’ll be up against talented peers from all over the globe; here’s to hoping that she clinches gold once again.

Enhancing her skills with a technical diploma

Well, it seems like Christine is going full steam ahead when it comes to refining her skills to ensure her future success in the beauty and wellness industry. On top of diligently training for the WorldSkills Lyon 2024 tournament, she applied for and enrolled in a Technical Diploma in Beauty & Wellness Management after graduating from her previous Nitec course.

Image credit: ITE

It is a relatively new course, with Christine being part of its second batch of students. “I came across the course from my lecturers, they’ve been telling me about this course,” she remembered. “I’ll be graduating with 3 certs, and one of them will be a CIDESCO cert.”

In case you’re not in the know, a CIDESCO (Comité International d’Esthétique et de Cosmétologie) diploma is one of the most prestigious qualifications a beautician like Christine can attain. It is an optional, internationally-recognised diploma that students undertaking a course for the aforementioned Technical Diploma can aim for during their course of study.

Christine also remarked that if she were to take a course outside of school for a CIDESCO diploma, it would have set her back thousands of dollars. As such, taking up a Technical Diploma with ITE was the wiser decision here; she is even eligible for a $5,000 Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) top-up to further help fund her education, under the ITE Progression Award.

Speaking of the Technical Diploma itself, it is issued in collaboration with the Vocational Training Council Hong Kong. It enhances the foundational skills acquired during Nitec studies by equipping students with in-depth skills in cosmetics and formulation science, positioning them to succeed in the beauty and wellness industry. Students may even get an opportunity to take part in a student exchange programme and do part of their studies in Hong Kong.

Upskill early & fund your education with ITE Progression Awards

Should you find Justin and Christine’s valiant efforts to keep upskilling themselves in their respective fields of work inspiring, consider looking up diplomas supported by the ITE Progression Award (IPA). It is a great option for ITE graduates to consider when they’re looking to equip themselves with the relevant skills to stand out in the competitive job market.

The IPA also helps students with the financial costs of obtaining a diploma so that they can set aside the money for other longer-term goals such as home ownership or retirement. Here’s a quick glance at the monetary grants that ITE graduates can expect from an IPA-eligible diploma:

*Provided ITE graduate enrols in the course by age 30.

Of course, hitting the books once again might be the last thing on your mind, especially if you’ve spent some time adulting in the working world. But heading back to school is looking to be quite attractive, thanks to the government’s aid when it comes to keeping the acquisition of crucial, contemporary skills for the workforce affordable for promising graduates.

Learn more about the Ministry of Education’s IPA for ITE graduates

This post was brought to you by the Ministry of Education.
Cover image adapted from: Justin Leong, WorldSkills Singapore