OUR PROFESSIONAL COURSES

Our Professional Courses

SUCCESS STORIES OF SOME OF OUR GRADUATES……..

Text Box:

“Good afternoon, Rector of Ceremony, Guest-of-Honour, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Graduates, Family members, Ladies & Gentlemen.

Firstly, I would like to congratulate each and every one of our graduates and award recipients who are here with us, this afternoon. Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the lecturers and tutors, who have been patient and enthusiastic in imparting their vast knowledge and experience in the Logistics Management and Purchasing Industries to me and my classmates.

I am very honoured to be invited by SIPMM, to share my woes and joys, in this course, with all of you. I could remember that in 2006, when my company Pioneer Electronics AsiaCentre encouraged me to send in my application for this BBA course, I was very reluctant to do so, as I have many considerations and constraints then as I am a mother of 3 boys who were then 4 and 2 years old. During that period, I had also been assigned to be in-charge of a section comprising 7 purchasing staff. However, knowing most of my colleagues in Pioneer have enrolled in this course and have successfully completed the programme, some even with outstanding results, I know that I have no choice, but to bite the bullet and to go through this.

On a serious note, to borrow a quote from Aristotle, a Greek writer and philosopher, "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet". I did experience bitterness when I started on this course. Imagine, I had to balance between my work, family and studies for almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It practically leaves me with no time and energy to do my personal stuff. However, the fruit which bore after these 20 months of “blood and sweat”, long nights of poring through books and web-sites, and putting up of assignments and examinations, was sweet and refreshing.

I have never regretted enrolling into this BBA course as it gave me great insight into the fundamentals of logistics management and purchasing. During the interaction with my lecturers and classmates, I have learnt both the theoretical and practical aspects of the subjects which are real, and what I face everyday in my work. I am also grateful to my lecturers namely Mr Fu, Mr Kay, Mr Chua and classmates especially Evelyn and Cynthia, for the many hours of discussions, interactions, sharing of notes and arguments too. You have all made my participation in the lessons and discussions more interesting and meaningful.

I feel that continuous education is not only about attaining a degree certificate. This programme not only enhanced my knowledge in this trade, but it also gives me the confidence to tackle issues related to logistics and purchasing. This BBA programme also serves as a good platform, for me to know and network with other fellow colleagues in the industry. I will definitely treasure the times that we spent together and the friendship that we built over these 20 months. Rest assured, I will definitely keep in close contact with you guys.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the management and staff of Pioneer Electronics AsiaCentre, for their encouragement, understanding and support, in allowing me to go on leaves and time-offs, during my studies. Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents and my husband, for their understanding and support throughout my course. There were many days when we have to cancel or shorten our family outings, to rush home so as to meet the course deadlines. You were great and understanding to manage and take care of my 3 boys, which is in fact my duty as a mother. Without your support and encouragement, I would not be able to meet the many challenges in this course.

Dear fellow graduates, I know you will agree with the things that I have just mentioned and in appreciation of our family and friends who have given us their support and love during our course of studies, I would like to invite all the graduates to give a round of applause, to express our gratitude to our family members and friends. We will now give three cheers together as a sign of thanks. When I say Hip-hip, can you please shout out Hoo-ray.

Finally, I wish all of you every success in your future endeavors. Thank you and have a nice day.”

MR WONG NGEE MIN

Graduate of SIPMM Certificate in Logistics Management (2005), SIPMM Diploma in Logistics Management (2007) and

Current Student of SCU/SIPMM Bachelor of Business Administration (with specialisation in Purchasing & Logistics Management)

“2003 was a big change in my career when my company underwent major restructuring exercise. I was offered to join the Stores Department as their Supervisor but prior to that, I was working as the Composite Design Technician in the Engineering Department.

Without any formal education in stores management, my involvement in the daily activities has become my on-the-job training. After a discussion with my Head of Department, SIPMM was shortlisted among the many training providers. I was then enrolled for the Certificate in Logistics Management (CLM) course which has provided me the fundamental principles and skills in running the stores and other-related activities. But the road of acquiring new knowledge has never stopped there, as my roles and responsibilities had demanded a deeper understanding of the various functions and newer ways of operation.

Soon after completing CLM, my company enrolled me for the Diploma in Logistics Management (DLM) course. This Diploma had helped me to see beyond stores functions and it had also broadened my view of the entire supply chain. By knowing the importance of both the up- and down-stream customers, I am able to view things in different perspectives and this motivated me in wanting to establish and foster further good working relationship. Armed with the knowledge and skills acquired in other subjects from this Diploma, I must say that I became more confident when dealing with cross department functions personnel.

During the DLM course, I encountered several setbacks as my elder brother, who was the closest to me, was diagnosed with cancer. He was in and out of the hospital many times and, sadly, he left us one year later. My studies, assignments, lessons, etc… were affected. Luckily, with the support and understanding from the SIPMM staff as well as my Course Lecturers, I managed to complete my Diploma in time and achieved good grades. Without them, I might have to defer my course and perhaps not being able to do well.

I am glad that my company and I have chosen the right training institute. Given the industry-relevant course curricula and quality training that I have acquired from SIPMM and its highly experienced teaching staff, I am now undertaking their Degree programme!”

Text Box:

SIPMM TOP GRADUATE for

Advanced Diploma in Purchasing & Materials Management (ADPMM)

- 29^th intake

- MS CHRISTINA HO

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Awards Selection Committee of SIPMM for selecting me as the Top Graduand for Advanced Diploma in Purchasing and Materials Management, Year 2007.

I graduated 15 years ago with the Bachelor of Economics (Accounting). Having a basic undergraduate degree then, allowed me to flap my wings and expand my horizon into the labor force, as an Accountant and Financial Analyst. I was employed by GLC and MNC in property management, investment banking and transportation industries. Over the years, with increasing responsibilities, it was time to update and upgrade myself.

When I was searching for a “next step” into my career, I found Supply Chain to be extremely satisfying as I was in the heartbeat of the Company, being a central contact point, providing services to internal and external customers. Simplifying processes in Supply Chain and implementing ERP were my primary and core functions then. I knew that I needed to substantiate my newly found daily bread with a strong and solid foundation.

I attended a 3-day seminar at SIPMM as an appetizer into Supply Chain and truly found the course interesting and worthwhile. After some research among the Institutes providing courses in this area, I selected SIPMM based on its professionalism and teaching methods that the lecturers use. More importantly, I was looking for a “hands-on” course, not a purely academic course that I would not apply to my daily duties and responsibilities. This balanced my tasks as a Manager in Procurement and Supply Chain Department within the Company and my attachment to Supply Chain grew favorably as the months went by.

The ADPMM truly benefited and complemented my role in Procurement as the topics and assignments covered are currents facts and challenges faced in the changing world of Supply Chain. Wide reading is required to further enhance the mastery of Procurement and Logistics topics. The solid foundation and fundamental principles provided by the lecturers in each subject matter allowed me to further expand my horizons beyond the inward thinking that Supply Chain only belongs to cost centre of a Company. I was able to turn around the department to a revenue centre and bring Procurement into the next level of core cross-functional department within the Company.

It has been a rewarding journey to once again be a mature-aged entry student. Moving on 15 years later, I am now a mother of two young boys, a wife to a supportive husband and an employee to a US MNC. Juggling the hours to studies wore off thin as assignments needed to be handed in and examinations were round the corner. There are many more hats to wear as I grow older. Nevertheless, time management and self-discipline are the vital essence to a good balance. With the assistance and support of the lecturers and administrative staff of SIPMM, this challenging passage was worth every bit of its journey for me, as a student, still young at heart. Thank you.”

“Four years ago, I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic, with a Diploma in Business Administration, specialising in Tourism. Back then, due to the outbreak of SARS, it was quite difficult for me to find a job in the tourism industry. As a result, I accepted a job as a buyer in an electronics company. And this marks a significant change in my career path. Being the youngest and the most inexperienced staff in my department, I told myself that it is necessary for me to work extra hard to gain a foothold in the company. So, I started to learn the basic purchasing techniques from my superiors through OJT or On-the-Job-Training. I was beginning to enjoy my work very much and my desire to acquire more knowledge had spurred me to embark on this course – Bachelor of Business Administration (specialising in Purchasing & Logistics Management) offered by SIPMM and awarded by SCU.

When I took up this course, my main objective was to gain as much knowledge and skills from the course as possible, to help me in my job as a buyer. Of course, the degree will also come in handy for my career advancement in the future. But my quest for knowledge acquisition was far different from the days when I was a polytechnic student. My emphasis then was to pass my examinations with the highest possible grades……….but as an adult student, I need to “re-learn” and apply the acquired knowledge that I learned from SIPMM, to my job.

One of the challenges I faced in the pursuit of this degree, is the need to develop effective time management. Trust me, to juggle work, study and life effectively is not easy. It involves a lot of discipline, commitment and sacrifices on our part. The people around us, such as our family members, colleagues and classmates also play important roles to help us pull through this period.

Looking back, I really appreciate the change in the depth of my understanding. After attaining this BBA degree, I am beginning to do much better than I ever expect. I have learned a tremendous amount of knowledge from the course lecturers at SCU and SIPMM, and see myself growing and becoming a very skilful buyer. Now, I work with so much more confidence than before. The earning of this degree has unlocked many new doors which I have never known that existed. Not only my career has advanced, my whole realm of thoughts has deepened. Now I look at work issues more profoundly and I am able to contribute my thoughts to my work team from a different perspective. In short, the way that I look at the world has changed… as well as the way I see myself. Of course, these would not have happened without this BBA degree and more importantly, the course lecturers and SIPMM. There is no doubt that the supply chain industry is full of challenges and I must say SIPMM has equipped me well in response to today’s challenges and opportunities.”

For more information on SIPMM professional courses, please contact the SIPMM Course Management Office

on (65) 6273-4172 or email to info@sipmm.org.sg.