Overcoming the odds
ITE graduate Seow Qing Huat takes a step towards his dream career by gaining early acceptance into polytechnic diploma course
As a child, Mr Seow Qing Huat enjoyed drawing. He took art and craft courses to learn painting, drawing and colouring.
Along the way, Qing Huat also became interested in design, and spent time on design gaming CDs to learn more about the processes.
His electrician father had noticed his passion and suggested interior design as a possible career option. He encouraged his son to be an interior designer by giving him a CD on home décor so they could build their dream home together in the future.
Now, the 22-year-old is a second-year polytechnic student at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) enrolled in the Diploma in Interior Design to pursue his passion.
Qing Huat and his family like to visit showrooms of new housing launches. “I observe details of the designs of different projects. From there, I develop a wider view of design themes for the current trends in the market,” he says.
Growing up, Qing Huat did not excel in his studies in secondary school, but worked hard to hone his skill sets in interior design at ITE. As his talents blossomed, his ITE lecturers asked him to assist classmates during projects and lessons. They also encouraged him to further his studies in a polytechnic.
Qing Huat, a holder of a National Institute of Technical Education Certificate (NITEC) in Space Design (Interior & Exhibition) from ITE College Central, gained admission to SP through the Early Admission Exercise for ITE students [EAE(I)] last year.
The EAE(l) best suits NITEC or Higher NITEC applicants who are certain of their aptitudes, passions and strengths, and have a desired polytechnic course in mind.
Qing Huat says: “In the application process, we have to prepare our best portfolio with the best projects we have. Applicants should have a clear understanding of their projects and express ideas with confidence.”
He is confident that SP’s holistic education and conducive learning environment will take him closer to his dream career in interior design.
Qing Huat says that he chose SP because it is well-established, is well-regarded by employers and highly recommended by his father’s friends.
He says: “During my three years in SP, I hope to gain more knowledge and ideas on interior design. Here, I am taught design thinking, how to express my ideas and more about application, construction, material suppliers and so on.”
The upcoming EAE(l) application period for ITE students is from June 7 to 13, 2018.
Visit https://www.sp.edu.sg/eae/ and https://eae.polytechnic.edu.sg/eaeStudIns/menu.jsp for more information.
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