ITE students win first prize at SUSS business plan competition
An ITE outfit beat 42 other teams from local schools to win the first prize at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) SBIZ Business Plan Competition, which required participants to develop an innovative business plan that addresses Singapore’s social problems in the digital era.
Three students from Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central — Joshua Lim Zheng Jie, 19, Jarryl Lim Yi Zhao, 20, and Muhammad Adil Juma’at, 18 — submitted a plan that focused on the use of immersive technologies, such as virtual games and simulations, to help the elderly stay active and healthy.
The trio, who go by the name, Team Link, was initially anxious when they found out they were competing against 42 other teams from various schools that included the likes of Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Junior College and Singapore Polytechnic.
Said Jarryl: “It was a confidence booster (when we won) because I realised that although academics might not be our forte, our passion and hard work paid off.”
Their mentor, Ms Karen Loh, a senior lecturer teaching the life skills subject, said that the students had to undergo a steep learning curve while conceptualising the business plan through virtual calls. and they were always willing to learn and improvise.
Ms Loh said: “I was initially afraid that the odds were against them. However, I am proud of the students as they were always willing to learn and improvise, and have grown in confidence.”
The judges of the competition said Team Link presented a sound business plan and was “able
to articulate its ideas and convince the judges that the idea would work”.
They added: “The students were able to effectively address the questions posed to them by the judges.”
Adil, a Nitec in business services student, was able to use the skills taught in his course to curate the business plan.
Joshua, who is pursuing a Higher Nitec in motion graphics and Jarryl, a film-making Higher Nitec student, created videos to showcase their plans, which included activities that involved the elderly playing virtual games in roving buses and senior activity centres.
They also created physical therapy and rehabilitation through mixed reality and reminiscence therapy for seniors with dementia.
The students worked on this project for three months and picked up skills such as market analysis on their own to curate the business plan.
Said Adil: “We all have our strengths, and we were also able to forge strong friendships that allowed us to work together without any misunderstandings, and our hard work finally paid off.”
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