CFO and general manager is also a part-time poly student
Diligent father of four is in his third year of studies in Republic poly to improve his knowledge in digitalisation
Mr Ho Kian Teck's spirit for lifelong learning has proven that age is just a number.
The 46-year-old, the chief financial officer of Lingjack Group and general manager of Lingjack Deck Machinery, has been in the manufacturing industry since 2001.
Yet, his years of experience did not stop him from wanting to equip himself with the latest skills by enrolling in Republic Polytechnic's (RP) part-time diploma in engineering (electrical and electronics) in 2018.
Mr Ho, a third-year student who has achieved a sterling cumulative grade point average of 3.83 out of 4, told The New Paper: "I believe learning never stops.
"I decided to take up this course to improve my knowledge in digitalisation. It is applicable to the production line as well as products for our customers."
He added: "I am happy that there is more practical and hands-on learning (in this course), and there is even a laboratory for us to do testing."
Being the oldest student in his class has not hindered his relationships with his classmates with whom he has built a good rapport, and they work well together on projects.
WORK IS PRIORITY
Balancing work and studies has been challenging for Mr Ho as work has to be the priority.
He has missed classes at times from clocking overtime or travelling for work, but he gave his best and would study at 11pm after reaching home from work.
"The good thing is my boss is understanding and RP lecturers are supportive. Their response to questions are fast, even at night."
Married with four children aged seven to 12, Mr Ho has been an inspiration to them by showing that learning can take place at any age, and they would go to him with exam scripts to "compare" results.
"Without my family's support, I wouldn't be here today," said Mr Ho.
He hopes to develop and implement a fully autonomous enterprise resource planning system that gathers and processes information, and operates automatically to automate resource allocation, monitor production workflow and detect errors earlier to improve quality control.
He also wants to upskill in artificial intelligence for automation, on which he has consulted lecturers on possible pathways.
Mr Ho said: "No matter what industry you are in, be open to learning new things and don't be outdated."
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