The Institute of Technical Education (ITE), is the successor institution to the former Vocational Institute and Training Board (VITB). During the 1980’s and 1990’s, VITB provided vocational training for many Singaporeans, and ITE continues to fulfill this role today.

However, in an increasingly globalised economy, ITE is no longer about preparing the less academically inclined students to fill up domestic semi-skilled positions. In fact, many of its graduates have either gone on to attain Higher National ITE Certifications (Higher NITEC), polytechnic diplomas, and university degrees. Most of them would have served apprenticeships with well-known companies, and some may even have gone on to become entrepreneurs.

This emphasis on continual learning and upgrading extends to working adults as well. ITE has a wide range of part-time courses designed to meet the specific needs of adult learners from different jobs, and they are offered at different skills and academic levels to help adults stay relevant in a changing economy.

But teaching working adults can be quite different from teaching young full-time students, according to Derek Tang and his wife, Wendy Tang. They are both part-time lecturers who have been conducting courses for working adults at ITE for the past 10 years.

An interesting job
“It was quite by coincidence that I became a lecturer,” Derek shares. “I was working in an MNC at that time. On one occasion, a colleague of mine who was teaching part-time at ITE, couldn’t make it and asked me to stand in for him. I found it to be an interesting experience, so I enrolled myself for a course that equipped me to be a trainer.”

At the time, the then VITB sought assistance from the Canadian instructors who had experience in conducting night classes for adults. Derek had a Canadian trainer who taught him the basic skills for teaching and training adults. “We did video-recordings of our presentation skills, which were useful for providing us with feedback,” he recalls.

Nonetheless, even with such training, teaching working adults can be a challenging affair. “The challenge is really to motivate them. These students are working adults and know what they want. They already have a goal in mind. We help them to reach their goals. In a way, we are there to facilitate their learning journey,” says Wendy.

She continues, “I have taught working adults from many overseas countries such as Malaysia, China and Vietnam. They come from very diverse backgrounds. They range from cleaners to engineers. I even had a student who was Chinese physician! Their ages can range from as low as 20, to as high 70. Most would have had very little formal education, while some could be graduates with no working knowledge of English. I enjoy interacting with all of them — it is interesting to learn about their jobs, their cultures and even about their families!”

Teaching as equals
Today, Derek teaches the Worker Improvement through Secondary Education (WISE)programme at ITE Fuhua Secondary School, while Wendy teaches the Basic Education for Skills Training (BEST) programme at ITE Bishan College.

These programmes aim to impart life skills to working adults. Unlike a typical class of teenagers, these mature students are keen to learn practical skills that can be applied directly to their daily routines and jobs. Some of them possess a great deal of life experience, but they generally maintain healthy respect for their trainers and seldom cross the line.

“I once taught a group of students from the Boys’ Home,” says Wendy. “As they were ‘forced’ to attend the class, they were quite difficult to teach at first. However, they soon behaved themselves after I’ve set my rules upfront.”

Perhaps it is this sense of being able to communicate at equal level, sharing experiences and mutual respect that makes teaching adults an enriching experience for Derek and Wendy.

“It is an avenue for me to share my knowledge and life skills with a group of very attentive adults,” shares Derek. For instance, he would weave in topics like budgeting during class activities. “We try to make learning as relevant to their daily lives as possible,” he says.

Wendy agrees. In her case, when conducting a lesson on teleconversation skills, she would tell her students about various scams that have occurred in the past, and show them the newspaper reports that document these incidents. “This would help them to be more cautious when handling suspicious phone calls, especially from strangers,” she says.

Making good
For both Derek and Wendy, the greatest motivation comes from seeing how they help to make a difference for many of their students. Wendy says, “I had this Malaysian student in my class. When he first joined my class, he could not even recognise the word ‘you’. But he continued to stay in my class, and eventually passed all four modules. He was so excited that he bought me dinner to express his gratitude. Later, he told me that he had begun teaching his sister English as well!”

These little moments are what make Derek’s and Wendy’scontributions seem worthwhile.