Republic Polytechnic

Republic Polytechnic (Abbreviation: RP) is an institution of higher learning in Woodlands, Singapore within walking distance of Woodlands North MRT station. Founded in 2002, it was the first school system in Singapore to use the problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy for all its diploma programmes.[1]

Republic Polytechnic
Politeknik Republik  (Malay)
共和理工学院 (Chinese)
MottoDiscover. Transform. Achieve
TypePublic
Established1 August 2002 (2002-08-01)
PrincipalMr Yeo Li Pheow
Location
Woodlands
,
Singapore
Campus20 hectares
ColoursGreen, White and Black    
NicknameRP
Websitehttp://www.rp.edu.sg/
Republic Polytechnic
Agency overview
JurisdictionGovernment of Singapore
Agency executive
  • Mr David Wong, Chairman, RP Board of Governors
Parent agencyMinistry of Education

In contrast to polytechnics in the United States and the United Kingdom, polytechnics in Singapore admit majority of their students after secondary school, which is after at least 10 years of formal education. Diplomas in a specialised area of study, Biomedical Sciences for example, are generally awarded after completing 3 years of studies.

Republic Polytechnic's project team began operating in the premises of Data Storage Institute,[2] National University of Singapore in January 2002. On 1 July that year, it moved into Tanglin Campus which was previously occupied by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. The polytechnic opened its doors to the first intake of students in 2003 before moving to the current Woodlands campus at Woodlands Avenue 9 in 2007. The polytechnic saw its twelfth batch of students graduating in 2017, also the fifteenth anniversary of the polytechnic.

Schools and Centres
The Republic Polytechnic campus

Each diploma awarded by Republic Polytechnic is recognized for articulation into a bachelor's degree at a university in Singapore or a top university across the world.[3]

As of 2021, RP has 7 schools and 1 academic centre which offers 37 full-time diplomas:[4]

RP's Industry Immersion Programme (IIP), or internship, is designed to give students a first-hand experience of the work environment and lets them apply the knowledge they have gained from the classroom. Each year, final-year students are placed on internship with over 1,200 industry partners. The duration ranges from 20 to 24 weeks and is an integral part of the diploma programme. Some students have also pursued their internships overseas during their 3rd year of study at RP. The countries include the United States, Australia and New Zealand, to destinations closer to home such as Indonesia, China and Myanmar.[5]

The polytechnic also has a Continuing Education and Training (CET) learning arm for upskilling and lifelong learning. In line with Singapore's SkillsFuture movement, these part-time programmes - short courses and certificates offered by the Academy for Continuing Education known as ACE@RP – allow learners to stay relevant in the current knowledge-based global economy.[6] They include:

  • Part-time Diploma Programmes
  • Specialist Diploma Programmes
  • SkillsFuture Earn & Learn Programmes
  • Short courses/ Workshops
  • National Silver Academy Courses
  • Modular Courses

In January 2019, the polytechnic launched the Diploma in Applied Science in Urban Agricultural Technology, the first full-qualification diploma course in agricultural technology in Singapore. The aim of the programme is to train the next generation of high-tech farmers so that the country can produce more of its own food.[7]

A building within the Republic Polytechnic campus

Campus

On 31 July 2007, RP's Woodlands campus was officially opened by Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.[8] The campus was designed by Japanese architect, Fumihiko Maki[9] and DP Architects. Completed in 2006, the new campus is able to cater 13,000 students. It is conceived as a campus with a central nucleus which contains 11 learning Pods (8–9 storeys high) which are unified by 2 elliptical decks of common facilities, namely The Lawn and The Agora.[10]

Also known as a Paperless Campus, RP's Woodlands campus is backed by IT-supported network for both academic and administrative functions.[11][12] It employs the latest technology, through a wireless IT infrastructure supported by a comprehensive hardware-software system. In line with its green approach, environmentally friendly features such as fritted glasses, flooring made from recycled nylon and tyres, and sunshade louvres were integrated in the building design.[13] Instead of the conventional air-conditioning system, the campus is equipped with tanks containing chilled water, which are recharged at night using low tariff electricity. This significantly reduces overall electric consumption.[14]

In 2008, RP earned the ASEAN Best Practices for Energy Efficient Buildings Competition under the New and Existing Buildings category.[15] RP was also honoured with the President*s Design Award in 2009.[16] The campus was also the first to win the First-ever Singapore Green Mark Plantinum award for its eco friendly design.[17]

Facilities[18]
  • Republic Polytechnic Industry Centre (RPIC) – The RPIC is a six-storey building that houses laboratories and learning facilities to support research, innovation and enterprise across a range of industries that include food manufacturing, hospitality, advance manufacturing and logistics, among others.
  • The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC) – Designed by Maki & Associates, TRCC has three main performing arts venues: a) 1,000-seat Theatre, b) 300-seat Studio and, c) 120-seat Lab. In addition to these performing spaces, TRCC also houses rooms and studios for practice, rehearsal and recordings that support curriculum, student development.
  • Career Centre – As part of Education and Career Guidance (ECG) efforts, the RP Career Centre, which commenced operations in October 2015, provides career advisory services.
  • Library – 2100-seater RP library.

Sports
  • Indoor competition hall ideal for sporting games such as basketball, volleyball and netball
  • Multi-purpose outdoor courts which can be used either as three basketball courts, three volleyball courts or one futsal court
  • Multi-purpose indoor hall for holding any type of indoor competition or event including the games of floorball, frisbee or captain's ball
  • Swimming complex with an Olympic-size swimming pool, a warm-up pool and a baby wading pool
  • Badminton hall comprising 6 badminton courts
  • Table tennis hall comprising 6 table tennis tables
  • 4 tennis courts
  • Martial arts room
  • Aerobics studio
  • Football/rugby field
  • Indoor & outdoor rock wall and an outdoor "adventure learning centre"

Notable alumni

Key Milestones
Aerial perspective of Republic Polytechnic's former Tanglin Campus
  • July 2002 – Start of operations at the temporary Tanglin campus, Republic Polytechnic was official established a month later
  • July 2003 – Start of classes for pioneer batch of students in RP's three schools: School of Applied Science, School of Engineering and School of Information and Communications (now known as School of Infocomm)
  • January 2005 – Launch of School of Technology for the Arts
  • November 2005 – The Republic Polytechnic Centre building was officially opened
  • December 2005 – Launch of School of Sports, Health and Leisure
  • March 2006 – Official move to Woodlands campus
  • July 2007 – Official opening of The Republic Cultural Centre
  • March 2008 – Launch of School of Hospitality
  • November 2009 – Signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with Singapore Sports School
  • September 2010 – Opening of Centre for Continuing Education and Training
  • May 2012 – Re-launch of Centre for Professional Development as the Academy for Continuing Education @RP and launch of the first part-time diploma
  • October 2012 – Launch of the Centre for Enterprise and Communication
  • October 2012 - Official opening of the aerospace training facility, The Aerospace Hub (ARCH)
  • April 2013 – Official launch of the Centre for Innovation for Supply Chain Management
  • January 2014 - Official launch of Aquaculture Centre
  • April 2016 – Centre for Enterprise and Communication was renamed School of Management and Communication
  • August 2016 – Launch of Republic Polytechnic Industry Centre (RPIC)
  • November 2018 – Launch of Republic Polytechnic Academy for Continuing Education @ Paya Lebar (RP ACE @ Paya Lebar)[20]

Industry collaborations

Republic Polytechnic collaborates with industry partners to establish and maintain close industrial linkages.

Some examples include:

  • In June 2018, RP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ubisoft, a leading French game creator and distributor. Selected students from the Diploma in Sonic Arts and Diploma in Game Design programmes will be involved in the production of Foley effects and sound design for selected Ubisoft game releases.[21]
  • In March 2018, RP signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to forge an alliance to provide opportunities to educate and engage youth on sports science, and jointly establish the RP-FAS Centre of Excellence (COE)[22]
  • On 4 November 2016, RP signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with key MICE partners in a three-year collaboration providing industry-relevant learning experiences for 600 students from the School of Hospitality. Two new MOUs were signed with SingEx Holdings Pte Ltd (SingEx) and Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, and a MoU was renewed with Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS)[23]
  • The RP-Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence (HMI) Joint Laboratory was launched on 29 June 2016. Students studying for the Diploma in Industrial & Operations Management (DIOM) from the School of Engineering at RP are able to enhance their capabilities and skills in the field of engineering through this new lab[24]
  • On 9 June 2016, RP's new customer experience laboratories were launched. The facility will cater to around 1,000 students, mainly from the School of Hospitality's Diploma in Customer Experience Management with Business (DCXB). An inaugural collaboration between RP and partners ASICS, Cumulus Nimbus, ZA and Ma Cherie, the facility includes a retail lab stocked with lifestyle products. It also includes a contact centre that trains students in responding to customer queries, and a customer relationship management lab where students can interact with different consumer market segments[25]
  • In May 2016, RP's School of Infocomm and Samsung launched a new Android training and development laboratory to equip its infocomm students with the skills to develop Android software applications. The RP-Samsung Mobile Lab is a first among the institutes of higher learning in Singapore[26]
  • In September 2016, RP's School of Applied Science inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rolls-Royce, allowing students from the Diploma in Materials Science opportunities to work on aircraft component failure inspection and non-destructive testing R&D projects with the company. Rolls-Royce will also lend its aerospace and technological expertise to co-develop and enhance RP's curriculum in the areas of advanced materials and composites[27]
  • In December 2015, RP's School of Management and Communication jointly launched the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) with World Vision Singapore. Students from the Diploma in Social Enterprise Management (renamed Diploma in Business & Social Enterprise)(renamed again to Diploma in Business) will partner with youth counterparts from Cambodia to exchange entrepreneurial and business skills for sustainable livelihood. Through the collaboration, RP students are allowed the opportunity to apply classroom concepts in social entrepreneurship and business to real communities[28]

See also

References
  1. The Sunday Times: Education, Republic Polytechnic Singapore
  2. "Ministry of Education: Speech by Mr S Iswaran, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Education, at the 1st Session of the 5th Graduation Ceremony of Republic Polytechnic". Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  3. "OIR Further Studies". www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  4. "Schools". www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. "Overseas Internships". www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  6. "Academy for Continuing Education @ RP". www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  7. Teh, Cheryl (11 January 2019). "Republic Polytechnic launches course to groom high-tech farmers". The Straits Times.
  8. "Official Opening Ceremony of Republic Polytechnic". Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  9. Maki and Associates: Architecture and Planning Archived 3 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. BECA: Republic Polyechnic, Teaching Environment with Added Energy Efficiency Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. WOW Vision: Republic Polytechnic Singapore, A Campus-wide Wireless Solution
  12. HardwareZone.xom: SingNet launches Wireless Campus Trial for Republic Polytechnic
  13. Green Journey without End
  14. BECA: Republic Polyechnic, Teaching Environment with Added Energy Efficiency Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Singapore Bags 5 ASEAN Energy Awards BCA.gov.sg: Singapore Bags 5 ASEAN Energy Awards Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "DesignSingapore.org: President*s Design Award 2009". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  17. World Architecture News: First ever Singapore Green Mark Platinum Award Awarded to Innovative Green Campus
  18. "Facilities". Republic Polytechinc. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  19. "Singing's great, but Sufie Rashid also wants to succeed in business". Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  20. "Lifelong Learning Made Easier". www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  21. PARAMANANTHAM, MADHUMITA (5 June 2018). "RP students to get chance to work with game creator Ubisoft". The New Paper. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  22. Wang, Meng Meng (10 March 2018). "FAS signs MOU with Republic Poly on sports science". The Straits Times.
  23. "SACEOS". www.saceos.org.sg. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  24. "共和工院生产实验室 提供业界标准科技培训". 联合早报网. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  25. hermes (10 June 2016). "Schooling students in science, sense of shopping". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  26. "Republic Polytechnic and Samsung unveil Android training and development lab and offer joint certification in Android apps development" (PDF). Republic Polytechnic and Samsung unveil Android training and development lab and offer joint certification in Android apps development. Republic Polytechnic. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  27. ""Republic Polytechnic collaborates with Rolls-Royce"" (PDF). www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  28. ""World Vision and Republic Polytechnic Pilot Youth Livelihood Programme to Drive Sustainable and Impactful Volunteerism"" (PDF). www.rp.edu.sg. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
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