The CampusLife UpdateDecember 2017

What’s inside?Explore and Experience Ubin

Gra

duat

ion

Pane

l Deb

ate

@

Inse

ad

UCD

Sin

gapo

re

Alu

mni

Rec

epti

on

Cult

ural

Day

Peli

kan

LIG

A

CDS

Edit

oral

Pulau Ubin (Granite Island) is an island off eastern Singapore which is often considered as the last ‘kampung’ (village) in Singapore. This beautiful tranquil island was visited by close to 40 Kaplan students on 18 November 2017, Saturday. Students travelled by bumboats to the island from Changi point ferry terminal.

Organised by Sumita D/O Nelommohan (ACCA), this trekking event from the jetty to Chek Jawa enabled students to experience nature away from the concrete walls in the city. Student leaders from Student Executive Committee (SEC) mingled with and encouraged the participants

to chat with one another, giving everybody an opportunity to know each other better.

Explore and Experience Ubin18 November 2017Story by Ina OngPhotography by SAGSO

Cover Story

3

were forged and everyone was looking forward to the next activity. Keen to have some fun and make more friends? Come participate! Kaplan Student Affairs organise monthly events with the student leaders from the Student Executive Committee for all students in

Kaplan. Feel free to enquire about the monthly activities and workshops which are specially organised for Kaplan students at Student Affairs and Graduate Services Office. You may also wish to check out the following link https://campuslife.kaplan.com.sg/to find more information on our events/activities/workshops held regularly.

Join and Like our Kaplan CampusLife facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KaplanCampusLife

“Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not

stuff to show”

Along the trekking trails, students were excited about a close encounter with one of the island’s megafaunas, the wild boars. A family of wild boars with a young curious piglet crossed the paths and were seen trying to interact with the students. Monkeys, another common wildlife found on the island, were found to be rather bold as they attempted to come closer to the students, especially those with food in their hands.

The students took up the cooking challenge at the final stop, Jelutong Campsite, using basic camp materials, mess tins, solid fuels and canned food. It was fun to see everyone attempting to whip out their self-proclaimed 3 star Michelin meals. It did not matter that some ended up with burnt food. Satisfaction was the best consolation.

It was indeed a tiring day but everyone had fun. New friendships

Upcoming Event

5

75 Japanese students from MITA International School, Tokyo, visited Kaplan on 10 November for a one day cultural programme organised by Chng Kay Joo, Kaplan’s Senior Sales Consultant. The Japanese students started with an English workshop facilitated by Ms Min Yu. After lunch, the students got into teams and set up some booths to share about the Japanese architecture history, unique culture and its way of life. They were joined by the different international community groups in Kaplan; Indonesian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Malaysians and Thais, who did likewise.

Students, staff and guests went around the 25 different booths to listen to and share some information. Costumes were donned by the students from the various international community groups and delicious snacks from their respective homeland were shared. Kaplan students proudly represented themselves as student ambassadors and hosts to the Japanese students, as they took them on a campus tour around the Kaplan; Wilkie Edge and PoMo. Smiles were seen and laughter were heard everywhere. Friendships were also clearly forged as students were seen exchanging social media contacts with one another.

Cultural Day

Story by Ina OngPhotography by Kaplan Singapore

10 November 2017 “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the souls of its people”

- Mahandas Gandhi

Career Development Series

Greetings fellow job hunters! I am pleased to share with you that the job hunting season is coming soon. Whether you are a fresh graduate or an experienced candidate, it is time to tidy up your resume and remove the dust from your interview attire in the closet. Why do I say so? Well, first of all there are many job opportunities in the market during the first few months of the year. This is because a lot of companies will be reimbursing their employees the yearly bonuses at this point in time. Some employees will take this opportunity to look for greener pastures by leaving their current position and move on to a different work place after receiving their bounties. When their positions are vacated, companies will either have a reshuffling of its staff or open the position to new candidates. Therefore,

the job market is likely to be more active in these upcoming months. So job hunters, below are some tips on how you can get yourself prepared for the job hunting season.

1Update your resume.For experienced job seekers, read up

your resume and add the achievements that you have accomplished throughout

Story by Hakim AsfeePhotography credit Google

The Job Hunting Season

7

the time you are with the company. Besides that, consider adding the relevant skills that you had gained since you start your current job. For fresh graduates, you should already have a well-polished resume for the positions that you have been aiming for. Nevertheless, remember that an effective resume is the one which matches the job requirements and descriptions.

2Do not forget to update your online career profile.

Refresh your online career profile as

well. No matter what platform you use (Linkedin, Jobstreet, Rightspot, etc.), update your details. Unlike your resume, your online profile should encompass the macro view of your career for organisations to spot you for career opportunities.

3Network for jobs!Take the opportunity to network

with the people around you, especially those whom you have worked with from other organisations, and sound out to them your intention to look for career openings elsewhere. Getting recommended for positions is more

effective than coldly applying for the positions yourself.

4Get help from job agencies.Contact job agencies and deposit

your resumes with them. They are definitely pleased to expand their database of jobseekers as it will be easier for them to get matchings for their clients. For Singaporean job seekers, you may approach Workforce Singapore (WSG) or Employment Employability Institute (e2i) if you need further assistance on job search. Otherwise, all Kaplan students and graduates may approach the Student Affairs and Graduate Services to seek for job search assistance or career advice. Feel free to drop us an email at gso.sg@kaplan.com should you need to speak to our career advisor.

Student Clubs Event

9

During the month of November, PELIKAN participated in a football competition called ‘LIGA’ which was held through the collaboration of Indonesian Community at SIM (InSIM) and Indonesian Student Association in Singapore (PPIS). This event is a great opportunity for Indonesian students in Singapore not only to compete in a sports activity but also have fun making new friends with other Indonesian students studying in the different universities and institutions in Singapore.

Six teams competed in the games. Besides Indonesian students from

Kaplan, there were also Indonesian students from NTU, SIM, Curtin, PSB and MDIS. Team members from Kaplan and MDIS formed a team together to compete with the other paired-up teams. Although Team Kaplan-MDIS failed to win a medal during the game, the students’ spirits were not dampened. All the players showed great sportsmanship and everyone were chirpy as they shared various tackling skills with each other.

To all fellow Indonesian students in Kaplan, watch out for more wonderful events organised by PELIKAN. We look forward to meeting you soon!

PELIKAN LIGA: Indonesian Students Football Competition

Written by Indah Ayu RahmadantyEdited by Ina OngPhotography by Pelikan Committee

12 & 18 November 2017

Interest Club

11

The University of Portsmouth is a research-active university with a wide range of activities across many subjects and well-developed strengths in applied research with business, industry and the public and voluntary sectors. The University is in The Guardian’s University Guide 2018, reaching top 40 for the first time, having risen six places to 37th.

356 graduates celebrated the completion of their Bachelor programs on Sunday, 26th November 2017 at Fullerton Hotel. Kaplan is proud to honour all the graduates for their achievements and for coming this far in their education journey.

26 November 2017Story by Ina OngPhotography by University of Portsmouth, Press Office & Ina Ong

Portsmouth Graduation

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to the graduates on the successful culmination of their course of study and we wish them continued success as they move forward to realise their full potential.

On 30 November 2017, the demands for future skills were discussed at a panel debate at INSEAD in Singapore. To officially open the debate, Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, delivered a short speech on the importance of sharing experiences and inspiring each other globally.

Panel Debate @ Insead30 November 2017Story & Photography by Ina Ong

The Danish Prime Minister was received with great applause when he opened the panel debate on future skills requirements. 7 students from Kaplan were invited to this debate which consisted of a panel of six people from Denmark and Singapore, including the Danish Minister for Employment, Troels Lund Poulsen.

In the future, people will change jobs more frequently, which will require changes and upgrade in skills throughout one’s career, the Prime Minister explained in his speech. Lars Løkke Rasmussen added that not only technological skills need to be

Enrichment

13

advanced but also skills that are related to business, research, and the more creative ones like philosophical, ethical , social and human skills which machines cannot replace.

The Prime Minister expressed some concerns regarding future disruption.

Therefore, a disruption council has been formed, with Troels Lund Poulsen as the person-in- charge, to tackle these concerns and develop a plan. Løkke and Lund viewed Singapore as a leading nation in terms of preparing for the future job market and skill development. It is important to obtain inspiration from the outside. Løkke stated, “To succeed, you don’t always need to have all the answers, but rather be able to ask the right questions. It is important to see ourselves from the outside, so we can question our own choices and then learn from each other.”

Panel debate: Man, beyond machine

The first speaker in the panel, Chrystal Lim Leahy, Director, Centre for Future-ready Graduates, NUS, argued that the human mind set, creativity and social connection are the most valuable skills in the future since technology will take care of the hardware. She stated there

are three things employers want for their future employees: social skills, resilience, and human connection. Furthermore, she argued that it is important not to stay comfortable in one’s situation because having too much structure in life limits one’s creativity.

Elaine Yew, member of Egon Zehnder’s Global Executive Committee said, “When you are in the zone of maximum discomfort, you learn the most. A finish line is always a new beginning”. This means that one should always move forward and never settle within the comfort zone. “Always climb up the stairs, learn new values, hence it will increase your value in others’ eyes”, she stated. Furthermore, she argued that a perfect GPA is not in fact a perfect GPA if you want to impress future employers. They care more about what distracted you from achieving all A’s.

Lisa Render Nielsen, Director of

Leadership Development, Lego Group, started her presentation by asking everybody to close their eyes. “Close your eyes and think about a time where you really learnt a lot,” she said. After the exercise, she said that the answers probably varied from person to person. However, never has she heard the

Enrichment

answer ‘in school’. This was to make people reflect on how they learn. Being with the Lego Group, she thought many people would agree that when they play, they feel free to learn. The reason behind is that when a person plays,

he/she is not afraid of failing – never doubts her or himself but just try.

Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Trade and, did in many ways agree with her two fellow debate participants. When automation in business and everyday life becomes a reality, it is indeed the social skills that count. She added that cross cultural experience will be highly valued as a global view. To obtain this, we need to think about how we can help our

children to find passion in their talent – where she mentioned lifelong learning – again pointing towards developing through playtime.

Patrick Tay Teck Guan, Assistant Secretary-Generals, NTUC, member of parliament, stated that the school system of today may not foster creative thinking as it should. Crystal argued that creativity is not something you can learn in school alone. However, in school, you can create a space where it is safe to contribute, which generates these skills.

At the end of the session, Danish Minister for Employment Troels Lund Poulsen, wrapped up his impression of the debate. He mentioned that lifelong learning is important everywhere – in all sectors and in all countries. He added that Denmark has achieved great success despite its relatively small size due to the overlapping collaborative system of unions, private businesses and government. Together, they make sure that employees continue to develop new skills. He hopes this can continue, so “no one will be left behind”.

Reference: http://scandasia.com/lars-lokke-rasmussen-opened-future-employment-skills-insead-debate/

15

Kaplan Alumni Club

17

To stay connected with graduates and alumni, University College Dublin (UCD) organised a UCD panel discussion with esteemed panellists and alumni to discuss and provide interesting insights on Aviation trends in Singapore, followed by a networking reception at The Grand Hyatt Hotel that allowed their fellow alumni to learn, discuss and network.

As shared during the panel discussion, the aviation industry is expecting a 40% growth in year 2018, mainly from China.

After the panel discussion, alumni and guests were seen exchanging views and catching up with one another over some canapes and wine.

We look forward to seeing you at the

next UCD Singapore Alumni Reception next year!

Keen to stay in touch with your fellow classmates after graduation or network with key industry players? Join the Kaplan Alumni Club! As an Alumni Club member, you get exclusive privileges with selected merchants for goods and services, you could attend networking events and upgrade your skills through a range of professional development workshops all organized for the Kaplan Alumni Club. You may wish to check out the following link https://campuslife.kaplan.com.sg/to find more information on our events/activities/workshops held regularly.

Join and Like our Kaplan CampusLife facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KaplanCampusLife

UCD Singapore Alumni Reception23 November 2017Story by Woo Wei ChingPhotography by Lee Kay Liang, Adrian

Sandbox

One step at a time

Learn from it

Don't go through it alone

Changes happen around us everyday.

People change, circumstances change, things change.

Change may be a choice we make, or it may be imposed on

us. Starting a new course, settling down in a new

environment, getting married, changing of jobs, moving house

– these are examples of life changes we may experience.

Some people view change as a positive challenge, others find

difficulties in managing the consequences of new situations.

Here are some tips to help deal with it more effectively:

Try dividing a large problem into little ones. Work on them one at a

time, and give yourself a pat on the back each time you overcome one.

Change involves a transition from one set of circumstances to

another. Give yourself time to adjust and settle down.

Talk to your family, close friends or a professional like the school

counsellor. Share your problems with people you trust. Others may

offer a different angle to the situation.

19

1. Fill up Event Registration Form & Indemnity Form.

2. Submit to Student Affairs & Graduate Services Office.

3. Pay registration fee & collect receipt (If applicable).

1. Fill up Membership Application Form.

2. Submit to Student Affairs & Graduate Services Office.

Event Registration

Student Club Registration

Student Deals

EnquiriesFor programme enquiries, transcripts, certificates

and graduations, please address to:

PBEP Program: pbep.sg@kaplan.sgMurdoch Degree Programs: murdoch-degrees.

sg@kaplan.comDiploma Programs: diploma.sg@kaplan.com

Other Australian Universities Degree Programs: Aust-Degrees.SG@kaplan.com

*Click on the icons for more details

Did you know?

You can now sign up for student clubs and events via Kaplan CampusLife website (https://

campuslife.kaplan.com.sg/) or Kaplan CampusLife Facebook

page (https://www.facebook.com/KaplanCampusLife/).

The CampusLife Update is brought to you by Kaplan Student Affairs & Graduate Services Office (SAGSO). SAGSO is located at PoMo Campus level 6 (next to classroom 603). SAGSO welcomes your article contributions, constructive feedback or suggestions. You may send them via email to sawc.sg@kaplan.com. For career related enquiries, please email to gso.sg@kaplan.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Campus Life website.