Annual Report 2022/23
Highlights of the Year
Celebrating our wins and achievements
Celebrating our wins
and achievements
Our Schools’ sensational six-time wins
TP’s School of Business claimed its sixth Hospitality Institution of the Year win at the World Gourmet Awards (WGA) 2022! WGA is the only national accolade that recognises efforts of key players in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
In addition, Diploma in Culinary & Catering Management (CCM) student Ronald Chew was honoured with the USA Rice Federation Apprentice Chef of the Year title. Furthermore, CCM alumnus Francis Ee who is currently Sous Chef at Corduroy Palace, proudly claimed the prestigious Fabristeel Rising Chef of the Year title. These exceptional accolades serve as a true testament to TP's unwavering commitment to nurturing young talents who possess the skills and vision to redefine the future of the hospitality profession.
For an unprecedented sixth consecutive year, TP’s School of Design (DES) clinched the coveted Institution of the Year title at Crowbar Awards 2022! In addition, TP DES students swept the Best of Show award, three Best of Category accolades and an astounding 31 Gold, 38 Silver and 36 Bronze awards. Organised by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore, the annual Crowbar Awards is the only major national student competition celebrating the best creative, design and media works from institutions worldwide.
Kudos to Dr Maisha Foo
Each year, the President's Award for Teachers (PAT) acknowledges outstanding educators who play a vital role in motivating, inspiring and moulding the future of our nation. In 2022, Dr Maisha Foo was honoured as a PAT finalist. As Course Chair of TP's Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science, Dr Foo wholeheartedly commits herself to unleashing her students' fullest potential. She actively fosters industry connections to create myriad opportunities such as projects, internships, job offers and knowledge exchange, maximising her students' exposure to real-world work and mentorship possibilities.
Not a flash in the pan
A multidisciplinary School of Engineering student team upgraded TP's award-winning TP Eco Flash car with a modern urban design, and incorporated a new dashboard controller, lighting system and wiper. The TP Eco Flash crew then travelled to Lombok, Indonesia, for the Shell Eco-marathon 2022 competition.
Powered by the Falcon-1000, a patented hydrogen fuel cell with the world's highest power density, TP Eco Flash achieved an impressive milestone by clocking 137km/m3 of hydrogen. This exceptional achievement secured the team their third Gold in the Hydrogen Urban Concept Category, further solidifying TP’s dominance in this annual eco-competition.
Our desire for design excellence
TP’s School of Design students continue to do us proud in competitions by winning big at the Interior Design Confederation Singapore's Design Excellence Awards 2022. Our Interior Architecture & Design (IAD) outstanding student works took home two Gold, five Silver and six Bronze medals, and three Highly Commendable awards in the Spatial Design Awards competition track for students. IAD student, Zhou Anqi also bagged the Best Student Award!
Good things come in threes
Geoffrey Tai
School of Business
Iman Tang
School of Informatics & IT
Loh Yeow Meng
Enterprise Risk Management
The Public Sector Transformation Awards 2022 saw not one, not two, but three TP staff clinching the Exemplary SkillsFuture @ Public Service Award. The award recognises outstanding officers who embody the spirit of continuous learning and skills upgrading, thereby inspiring others to do the same.
This one’s for all our TP volunteers
TP was honoured to receive the Pertapis Volunteer Service Award, presented by Dr Maliki Osman, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs, in recognition of our continued efforts and contributions towards enriching the lives of residents at the Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls.
Giving their best at WorldSkills competitions
WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition was held in various member countries from September to November 2022. TP students participated in the IT Network Systems Administration, and IT Software Solutions for Business and Mobile Applications Development skill areas in South Korea, the Robot Systems Integration skill area in Luxembourg, and the Fashion Technology skill area in Finland. Our participants put in a commendable display and returned to Singapore with four Medallions of Excellence.
Over at WorldSkills Singapore 2023, held from 29 to 31 March 2023, the Team Temasek contingent did us proud with their medal tally of two Gold, two Silver, six Bronze and eight Medallions of Excellence.
Proof of TP’s sporting prowess
Team Temasek athletes put the pandemic in their rear-view mirrors and celebrated the return of an exciting sporting calendar! The reporting year saw the full-scale format resumption of the Polytechnic-ITE (POLITE) and the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games.
Out of 39 sports contested in the POLITE Games, Team Temasek claimed 15 Gold, eight Silver and six Bronze medals. In addition, TP’s Dragon Boat (Men), Dragon Boat (Women), Dragon Boat (Mixed), Rugby, Swimming (Men), Swimming (Women), Taekwondo, Volleyball (Men) and Volleyball (Women) teams also recorded successful title defences.
TP’s IVP Games medal tally of four Gold, three Silver and one Bronze also made us the best-performing polytechnic at the IVP Games!
We excelled at various external sports competitions too. These included Pesta Sukan 2022 where TP recorded a medal haul of 13 Gold, 15 Silver and 20 Bronze, the 19th Tertiary Silat Championship 2022 where our Silat team achieved a three Gold, five Silver and five Bronze medal tally, and the 2022 Singapore Canoe Sprint Championships where we won two Gold medals.
Advocating mental health
TP was honoured to receive the Silver Ribbon Mental Health Award under the School Institution category for the second consecutive year. Mr Samuel Wee, Director of Student Support & Career Services, represented TP at the award ceremony on 6 December 2022 and shared our extensive efforts and initiatives to promote mental health within the TP community.
A stellar cast
Abel (extreme right, holding the 4D-printed orthopaedic cast) with his Castomize Technologies co-founders
TP’s Diploma in Marketing alumnus, Abel Teo, is one of the co-founders of Castomize Technologies. This 2022 MedTech start-up uses 4D printing to tackle healthcare affordability and accessibility.
The start-up is an incubatee at Temasek Launchpad — TP’s entrepreneurial talent hub that supports, guides and assists students and alumni harbouring the spirit of enterprise. Castomize Technologies has already received a $150,000 grant from the National Research Foundation. Their first product, a revolutionary 4D-printed orthopaedic cast, also clinched several awards in Asia and is undergoing production to fulfil a local hospital’s bulk order.
The TP experience – it’s just the best!
The TP experience –
it’s just the best!
Looking ahead to the future
TP’s annual Learning Academy (LA) Fest event was held on 19 September 2022. Professor Elvin Lim, Dean of the College of Integrative Studies at Singapore Management University, delivered an engaging and thought-provoking keynote address on re-imagining education for the future of work. The audience benefitted from Professor Lim’s invaluable insights on the changing landscape of education, the influence of the mental model that shapes our situational responses and the significance of interdisciplinary learning.
A great interdisciplinary exchange of ideas
A TP interdisciplinary learning project brought together students from the Diplomas in Interior Architecture & Design, Architectural Technology & Building Services and Psychology Studies. The project tasked them with envisioning a new home for the Apex Harmony Lodge residents with dementia.
In early March 2023, the students shared their proposals with their clients. Thanks to the team members' diverse skills and disciplines, they created a space that was not only functional and practical but also aesthetically pleasing. In addition, their proposals incorporated sustainability elements and applicable ideas to help delay the decline of the residents' cognitive abilities and enhance their overall well-being.
Teamwork makes the dream work
An interdisciplinary TP team from the Schools of Applied Science, Engineering and Informatics & IT clinched the first prize in the tertiary level category of the Green Wave Environmental Care Project for Schools 2022 organised by Sembcorp Marine Ltd. Their eco-invention, Project Breathe Easy, is a solar-powered carbon-capturing device that uses algae and calcium carbonate to filter out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The device also incorporates an intelligent notification system that promptly alerts users when the filtering materials require replacement to ensure optimal performance.
Our hackathon sustainability champs
Over 20 teams from Institutes of Higher Learning across ASEAN, including Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore, participated in the 2022 ASEAN Virtual Entrepreneurship Hackathon 2022. Challenged with the theme ‘Sustainable Development in the New Normal’, teams had to apply their problem-solving skills, showcase solutions and explore opportunities to transform their ideas into commercially viable products.
Our TP Entrepreneurship Club student teams emerged as the top two winners in this competition organised by Passage to ASEAN – P2A International. The Gold was presented to the Systematic Waste Gobbler team which came up with a waste management robot that can be paired with an app. The Silver went to the Eco Lavvy project team for its green sustainable restroom solution.
Strengthening our expertise in tech and digitalisation
Our Principal & CEO, Mr Peter Lam, led a team of TP staff on a work trip to the United States of America from 28 September to 9 October 2022. The group visited tech companies such as Nvidia and ServiceNow headquartered in Santa Clara, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft in Seattle. They returned to TP with invaluable insights into how our technology partners and educational institutions have leveraged technology and applied it in the context of teaching and learning.
Another group of TP staff from the Learning Academy, School of Informatics & IT and IT Services attended the AWS re:Invent 2022 conference. Held in Las Vegas, Nevada from 28 November to 2 December 2022, it is the largest technical cloud conference in the world that provides major key announcements of services, key networking opportunities and cross-learning among attendees from related industries and sectors.
On the same trip, our delegates also visited San Jose State University, Google, Adobe, ZScaler, IBM and CyberArk to identify collaborative opportunities in staff and student exchanges, curriculum and capability development, learning platforms and more.
They certainly had a Grand ex-Prix-rience!
The Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Grand Prix returned with a bang in 2022, with a record turnout of 302,000 spectators. A crew of Diploma in Culinary & Catering Management students added to the adrenaline by curating a special food menu for Temasek Suite VIPs, which showcased Singapore’s local cuisine heritage with a modern twist.
Four Diploma in Hospitality & Tourism Management student leaders received an invitation from the Ministry of Trade & Industry to tour the Temasek Suite facilities and engage with guests, which included Members of Parliament and representatives from People’s Association.
Overseas study trips are always a blast
A group of staff and students from TP’s Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science travelled to Brisbane and Gold Coast to gain first-hand experience of Australia's pharmaceutical industry. The itinerary included tours of University of Queensland's and Griffith University's research facilities and virtual teaching spaces. They also visited various pharmaceutical organisations to learn more about their operations, and gained insights into the cutting-edge production of tablets through 3D printing.
Bonn-ding with world youth ambassadors
Derica Kon, Alicia Tung and Hannah Emilia from TP’s Diplomas in Communication Design, Aviation Management and Medical Biotechnology were our World Youth Skills Day (APAC) Youth Ambassadors who travelled to Bonn, Germany, for the UNESCO-UNEVOC Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Strategy Launch in October 2022.
At the event, the trio met with other youth ambassadors, shared their TP experiences, and called for greater youth voices and participatory governance in support of youth upskilling by TVET stakeholders. They also presented the Youth Declaration — put together by youth participants from various countries — to UNESCO-UNEVOC's Head of Office, Mr Friedrich Huebler, at the event's Marketplace.
An unforgettable UK excursion
Twenty students from the Temasek LEADership Programme (Temasek LEAD), TP's talent development initiative, participated in TP's inaugural Global Experience Programme (GEP) Study Trip to the United Kingdom (UK) from 4 to 13 November 2022.
This GEP was developed in partnership with the University of Bristol and featured specially curated experiential activities, learning workshops and visits that provided our Temasek LEAD students with broad exposure and a better understanding of UK's cross-cultural, socio-economic and political realities.
Enjoying the great outdoors
Over 25 students from various TP courses embraced the spirit of teamwork and adventure by taking part in TP’s overseas expedition to Mount Ophir National Park in Johor, Malaysia, from 14 to 17 March 2023. Putting their physical and mental limits through the ultimate test, these budding young mountaineers experienced camp craft, trekking, climbing and river-crossing to successfully summit the 1,276 metre-high Gunung Ledang mountain together!
Our Evening Fest was a roaring success!
TP held our inaugural Open House Evening Fest on Friday, 6 January 2023. Members of the public joined our staff and students at the Plaza for the unveiling of TP’s new Creating Tomorrow sculpture — a precursor to the evening’s vibrant line-up of fun-filled festivities, performances and delicious food truck delights!
It's always fab when we collab
It's always fab
when we collab
Our meat-free delish delights
TP’s School of Applied Science students, research scientists and lecturers teamed up with Japanese food tech giant, Fuji Oil, to create alternative protein versions of Singapore's local hawker delights.
The team's No-MOO Satay (vegan beef satay), No-CLUCK Satay (vegan chicken satay), Wow-gyu Rendang (vegan beef rendang) and Shojin Laksa (vegan laksa) are the result of combining new food technologies such as Fuji Oil's textured vegetable protein (TVP), high moisture meat analogue (HMMA) and proprietary MIRACORE™ technologies, with local aromatic spices to bring out the dishes’ inherent flavours. What an incredible innovation for Singapore's future in sustainable food options!
Shaping the future of security
TP has a long-established reputation in the field of security training and innovation. One of our annual signature events, the Security Industry Conference, brings together security professionals from local and international firms.
The relaxation of COVID-19 safe distancing measures saw the conference return as a face-to-face event in 2022. Over 300 delegates, including tripartite partners and representatives from government agencies, attended our Revolutionising the Security Industry: Sustainability & Efficiency-themed conference, to learn about new technologies and best practices to improve security services and upgrade practitioners' skills.
TP also took our sectoral expertise overseas by inking a Memorandum of Understanding with AETOS Holdings. Under the agreement, we jointly conducted a security training programme for Brunei Darussalam's largest security company, Setia Protective Security Service, from 31 October to 4 November 2022. This is the first public-private sector collaboration to offer advanced security training programmes and upskilling opportunities for security personnel within and beyond Singapore.
In addition, this newly forged partnership will see TP and AETOS working together to help full-time polytechnic and ITE graduates get a head start in emerging areas such as the convergence of physical and cyber security.
Robots reporting for duty
In 2021, TP and Land Transport Authority (LTA) embarked on a vehicle undercarriage inspection robot project. Several students from TP’s School of Engineering and various TP staff were involved in developing a low-profile remote-operated tracked robot with an articulated camera and lighting system to aid the inspection of vehicle undercarriages.
In February 2023, after the project’s successful completion, TP signed a supply agreement to build and provide LTA with 14 such robots. LTA enforcement officers will deploy these robots in real-world operations to safely inspect vehicle undercarriages for illegal modifications and capture, review, save and upload the images and footage to their database.
Advancing tomorrow’s hospitality talents
Exciting times lie ahead for the hospitality industry, thanks to our partnership with Far East Hospitality — also a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a hospitality group and an educational institution! We will jointly develop new CET programmes to meet the evolving demands of the hospitality industry with the aim of enhancing talent retention and attraction in the sector.
Strengthening our ties with Uzbekistan
Photo credits: Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a State Visit in January 2022 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations. As part of his visit, President Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Lee witnessed the signing of a framework agreement between TP and the Republic of Uzbekistan to deepen cooperation in innovation, entrepreneurship, applied science and engineering.
The agreement was signed by His Excellency Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Mr Peter Lam, Principal & CEO of Temasek Polytechnic.
The new gold standard for evaluating marketing goals
TP’s Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences (CABS) and marketing and advertising agency, DDB Group Singapore, inked an agreement in March 2023 to establish the Behavioural Intelligence Group (BIG). This new collaboration will combine and apply the behavioural science expertise of CABS and the marketing mastery of DDB to close the gap between target audiences’ intentions and actions. BIG aims to become the gold standard for achieving marketing goals and evaluating success in the advertising industry.
Strengthening our support for the special education needs community
On 3 December 2022, TP formalised a partnership with SG Enable to expand our work in empowering the next generation of leaders in disability inclusion and bolstering our outreach and advocacy for inclusivity and capability development in areas of accessibility and training.
In addition, TP’s student interest group, SENvocates, was recognised as SG Enable’s first Institute of Higher Learning Enabling Volunteer Chapter. TP is excited to create more opportunities for TP staff and students to initiate projects and grow inclusive spaces to further disability inclusion on campus and in the community.
The ideal tech-team up
TP’s School of Business continued its long-standing partnership with SGTech — Singapore’s leading trade association for the tech industry representing over 1,000 member companies — by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding in October 2022. Students will continue to benefit from SGTech’s enhanced structured student internship programme, industry-sharing sessions and learning journeys, and familiarisation of Singapore’s start-up ecosystem.
Setting a tree-mendous record
In December 2022, TP partnered with City Square Mall to bring a delightful touch of Christmas magic. TP’s School of Design Year 2 students proved their creative prowess by turning old, discarded and waste materials into sustainability-themed, colourful works of festive art! The students collected pre-owned and used materials from the mall’s tenants and transformed these into 12 stunning eco-Christmas trees displayed at the mall’s premises. Their collective effort also made it into the Singapore Book of Records for the largest display of Christmas trees created using repurposed materials!
Spreading smiles and good vibes all around
Spreading smiles and
good vibes all around
Well done to all our #TPCares heroes
TP continued to expand our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, efforts and initiatives this reporting year. These included:
Project Refresh
(April, August 2022 and February 2023)
It was heart-warming to see over 40 members of the TP Family step forward and roll up their sleeves to clean, declutter and apply fresh coats of paint to a total of nine homes of elderly residents living in Hougang, Bedok North and Sengkang.
Senior Befriending Programme
(1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023)
Our long-term senior befriending programme with Presbyterian Community Services saw our team of 18 staff volunteers visit nine seniors in neighbouring Tampines blocks monthly. Most of the seniors have since requested to continue with the programme.
Adopt-a-Block
(July and December 2022)
In partnership with Filos Community Services, TP staff and students from our Community Service Club came together to organise care pack deliveries.
Over 200 care packs were delivered in July and December 2022 to rental units at TP’s adopted block in Bedok North Road.
Used Appliances Donation
(November 2022)
Our CSR team and Estates & Facilities Management department collaborated to collect and donate pre-loved appliances from TP’s staff apartments to our community partners North East Community Development Council and Filos Community Services.
A total of 10 fridges, 20 microwave ovens and 20 induction cookers were given a second life and benefitted needy residents and senior activity centres.
Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls (PCWG)
ENGAGE. ENRICH. EXPERIENCE
Over 60 staff and students from various TP schools and departments were involved in organising a meaningful two-day programme for 30 teenage residents of PCWG.
The young women enjoyed hands-on crafts, baking and other fun learning activities at TP, and an excursion to the Changi Experience Studio at Jewel, Changi Airport.
Back and better than ever!
After a pandemic-forced hiatus, TP’s signature fund-raising carnival, Campus Care Network (CCN) Day, returned with a bang on Friday, 1 July 2022. TP schools, administrative departments and student interest groups banded together to set up over 130 stalls along our campus walkways for the event. Along with another 19 virtual stores, the TP Family raised over $36,000 for the CCN Fund – more than double the amount raised the previous year.
Over $70,000 was collected for TP’s CCN Fund this financial year. We disbursed over $38,000 to 130 TP students requiring financial aid through the CCN Financial Assistance Scheme and the CCN Emergency Scheme.
An overseas adventure for a good cause
More than 60 staff and students from TP’s School of Humanities & Social Sciences traded in their tourist hats for volunteer capes in September 2022 and again in March 2023, when they embarked on Project Smile, the School’s Overseas Community Project (OCP) initiative in Cambodia.
The group headed to their adopted village of Kampong Kdei, where they helped renovate classrooms and houses, gave lessons to school children, and disbursed over 1,200 food packs to the people living in the community.
Walking – it’s great for the mind, body and soul
In support of South East Community Development Council’s annual Walk for Rice campaign, the TP Community Service Club organised an on-campus event from 14 to 17 November 2022 to encourage the TP community to walk or run for a good cause.
For every 300 metres covered, NTUC FairPrice would donate one bowl of white rice, one bowl of brown rice and one bowl of oatmeal to benefit needy families and individuals. A total of 900 participants responded to the call and clocked a combined distance of 1,779,400 metres for the four-day event!
Showing our appreciation for migrant workers
To honour the sacrifice and contributions of migrant workers who helped build our nation’s infrastructure and to recognise their cooperation and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, TP’s Diploma in Medical Biotechnology students collaborated with social enterprise, A Good Space, to provide free health screening and wellness care for members of this community. Held at the Kranji Recreation Centre on 24 July 2022, our students also provided explanations on common diseases such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
We strongly be-leaf in a greener tomorrow!
In support of the National Parks Board OneMillionTrees movement, a nationwide effort to plant a million trees across Singapore over the next decade, TP staff and students picked up shovels, spades and watering cans and added more greenery to TP’s landscape during Singapore’s annual tree planting day in November 2022!
Empowering individuals with special needs
Zoe (centre) with SpedGrow’s other co-founders
Zoe Poh’s vast experience in both the social services and finance sectors led to the establishment of SpedGrow. This social enterprise start-up, which she co-founded with two of her peers, created a software and an app to teach individuals with special needs the fundamentals of functional money management and cashless payment, enabling them to be independent. The start-up also provides educational workshops for caregivers.
As a Diploma in Psychology Studies alumna, Zoe joined Temasek Launchpad in March 2023 to gain access to TP’s range of entrepreneurial support, guidance and networking opportunities to take SpedGrow to the next level.