Executive Networking Seminar

(13th September 2012)

"Your success in life isn't based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business." This is a memorable as well as practical quotation created by Mark Sanborn.

On 13th September 2012, the theories of Change Management were brought to life by Dr Tay Chor Ter. Dr Tay is our Adjunct Lecturer and Member of Academic Board from ERC Institute. Most of our attendees are working professionals, current MBA students and even entrepreneurs from the real business world.

Dr Tay shared insights about the interesting topicof how to “Ride the Waves of Change” and be successful in the business world. He triggered the enthusiasm of the audience by creating an interactive and friendly environment. The last session was the sharing session of our very own University of Wolverhampton’s MBA students and working professionals - Mr Terrence Ong and Mr Ken Leong. They shared about their own practical experiences in the corporate and business world.

At the end of the seminar, everyone mingled and networked with one another over the buffet dinner and exchanged name cards and contacts.

Beyond gaining knowledge from the seminar, most of them have a chance to meet professionals from different fields of business and expand their network. Without any doubt, it was a good and beneficial platform for all attendees to broaden their professional network and insights.

World Tamil Youth Conference 2012

(20 – 22 July 2012)

The World Tamil Youth Conference 2012 was an initiative endeavoured by National University of Singapore’s Tamil Language Society (NUS TLS) 33^RD Executive Committee. Conventionally the discussion group is held every 2 years by NUS TLS. The uniqueness of this conference was meant to understand the degree of proficiency of the Tamil language especially amongst the youths and find new avenues to improve them.

There were wide array of issues discussed during the seminar. The papers were presented by academics, counselors, students and scholars from Canada, United States of America, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and other countries around the world. The subjects discussed ranged from classical Tamil literature to development of Tamil cinema today.

The 3-day event was commenced by an opening ceremony held at the Guild House. There were festival events and one of the celebrities was the veteran speaker of Sun TV, Mr. Gopinath. There were also local Vasantham Central stars who appeared at this event.

In the 3-day forum, participants have learned more about the Tamil identity and how to inculcate its values and the language especially amongst the youths. Representatives of tertiary institutions and schools, lecturers, family members, counselors were strongly engaged in the open discussion. This has alleviated some of the problems and found new ways on how to further enhance the beauty of the Tamil language.

As students and academics of ERC Institute, we actively participated in the open discussion and took this opportunity to interact with professionals, academics, fellow students and the general public. With such an intellectual stimulating and engaging platform, we are definitely looking forward to participate actively in similar conferences in future.

 

FURAMA RIVERFRONT HOTEL INDUSTRY VISIT

(18 SEPTEMBER 2012)

Furama International is an award-winning chain of mid-range hotels situated in the vibrant Asia Pacific region, Furama hotels offer leisure and business travellers alike a well-appointed backdrop to indulge in restful play and invigorating work.

Furama Hotels International Management (FHI), a Singapore-based hotel management company, is committed to offering excellent accommodation choices in key global cities backed by the drive to promote memorable guest experiences. Currently, her presence in 6 key cities avails more than 7,500 rooms, with numbers growing as the company expands globally.

On September 18, 2012, our students from the Advanced Diploma in Business Administration (Tourism & Hospitality Management) had the opportunity to visit Furama RiverFront Hotel, which is situated at Havelock Road. It is one of the locally-owned hotels, situated near the Singapore River; offering guests with a wide range of amenities and well-equipped guest rooms. Mr. Gwee EAM of Furama RiverFront Hotel conducted a 15-minute brief history and introduction of Furama Hotels. Students also had the opportunity to view different guest rooms, back-of-the house such as the kitchens, banquet preparation room, etc.

After the visit, our students not only gain new insights into hotel operations, some of them have even expressed their interest to join the company after graduation.

Participants:

25 students + 2 lecturers

Briefing by Mr. Gwee

Tour of the guest room

Tour of the amenities

   Tour of back-of-the-house: Kitchen



A day we will not forget

(18th August 2012)

Were you there with us on that day? That was a sunny Saturday at Universal Studios Singapore (USS). Though we woke up very early on Saturday morning but all of us did not feel sleepy at all. As we are very excited and looking forward to this event as most of us have not been to USS before. Thus, this was a great chance for us to bond together and have fun for the whole day.

We had so much fun whereby we enjoyed most of the rides. Besides that, the event became fun-filled because of the cartoon characters’ involvement. This reminded us about the wonderful childhood that all of us had. Moreover, this trip has really bonded both the staff and students. Despite the different nationalities and races where we originate from, but through such an event, we have bonded as one family.

Financial Literacy by Mr Ong Han Boon

(3rd July 2012)

“Learn now or pay later” was the main intention of financial literacy event. This event was presented by our very own CEO of ERC Institute, Mr Ong Han Boon. With a strong background in finance, investments, accounting and strategic operations management, Mr Ong oversees the entire aspects of ERC Institute.


With such a dry topic like Financial Literacy,one tend to think that such a talk will be very boring.However, Mr Ong has amazed the audience due to theinteresting presentation style. Besides sharing of his knowledge and experiences in financial sector with the audience, he also provided many useful information and real-life examples which relate to finance and investments.

The event was rounded up with so many questions from the engaged audience. With such a meaningful event, the audience generally and specifically ERCI students had gained so much valuable information about finance and investments. We are looking forward to similar talk in the near future.

Graduation Ceremony 2012

(23rd June 2012)

Held at ITE College West on Saturday 23rd June 2012, our Graduation Ceremony for class of 2012 is the most inspiring and successful event organized by our Student Council Members.

The view of Grand Hall and the stage combined with our honorable guests lighted up this event whilst the welcoming section of our student council created a warm and friendly environment for the graduates and the guests. The ceremony hosted approximately 500 guests including the graduate students from ERC Institute, and partner universities; the University of Greenwich and Australian Institute of Business.

Flying from different countries, the parents and guests of our graduates attended our Graduation Ceremony in the pride of their children’s success. We also feel very proud of our ERCI students who have received the fruits of their hard work.

The welcome speech given by our Academic Director Mr Melvyn Tan, the speech by Honorary Guest Of Honour Mr David Ong (Member of Parliament, Jurong GRC), the speech by Dr Hantang Qi, senior member of Academic staff in University of Greenwich, the speech by Ms Selvi Yani Suwandoyo, Chairman of our Student Council and recipient of CEO scholarship 2012, and Thank You Address And Presentation Of Mementos to VIPs by our CEO, Mr Ong Han Boon are the grandeur of the whole ceremony.

Last but not least, is the relaxed networking session after the ceremony where refreshments were provided and everyone mingling around with Lecturers and friends. Everyone in the room was delightfully having conversation around and taking photos together with each other. Different from other grand ceremonies, this ceremony makes everyone closer together in a friendly environment without feeling of any distance.

Therefore, we are proud to herald that “In ERCI, we make a difference!”.