SINGAPORE – Trainees at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will get to hone their skills to handle a range of security operations scenarios, from mock-up automated clearance gates to a vehicular search area, at the school’s new training facility.
Located within the ITE College Central campus in Ang Mo Kio, the Security Operations Training Command (SOTC) houses a myriad of zones that replicate real operational contexts and workflows in the security industry such as managing unruly crowd behaviour and questioning suspicious individuals.
Spanning about 353 sq m – around a quarter of an Olympic-size swimming pool – the space has been in use since February.
The purpose-built facility features an experiential training space set up through a partnership between ITE and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) – a first for any institute of higher learning – to give trainees exposure to front-line border security operations.
This ICA zone includes an X-ray scanning machine, information galleries about prohibited and controlled goods, and interactive quiz stations.
With the new training space, close to 300 trainees in ITE’s Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) in security operations strengthen their ability in managing security threats on the job, as well as hone skills like situational awareness and decision-making.
Speaking at the launch of the facility on April 29, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim cited growing security demands amid manpower constraints, and the need to strengthen the security workforce.
Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim uncovering the potential hiding spots on a car. He is accompanied by ITE chief executive Peter Lam (left).
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
This means having a workforce equipped with skills to tap technology and take on more advanced operational responsibilities, he said.
“Previously, ITE’s training was largely conducted in classrooms, which limited the ability to simulate real-world operational environments,” he said. “SOTC addresses this gap, by providing a more structured and immersive training environment, effectively bridging theory and practice.”
