MILESTONES
INSTRUCTORS - THE NURTURING HANDS AT OCS
20 Sep 2007
Officer Cadet School's (OCS) success in training leaders for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) can be attributed to the excellence of its trainers.
This was the sentiment shared by Colonels (COL) Ong Yu Lin and Chiang Hock Woon, the outgoing and incoming Commanders of OCS respectively.
This change of command was marked by a parade at the OCS on 27 Aug.
According to COL Ong, OCS has come a long way from its early days. Currently, it possesses "a harmonious mix of science and conventional training".
"I become very encouraged when I see the cadets putting in a lot of effort to improve themselves. Likewise, I become equally motivated when I see my instructors working very hard," he said.
Notable too during his stint as Commander OCS was the process of training transformation; a process his successor will have to see through.
"Many of the officers and wing commanders attend training courses at the National Institute of Education," he said. "And therefore we adopt a more formalised and institutionalised approach to many of our training methods."
COL Ong added that his instructors' willingness to try new approaches has contributed significantly to enhanced training for the cadets.
"It's good to go back to school. We learn many training methods from other trainers, and so we re able to marry theory and experience," he said.
In fact, it was the instructors' skilful application of sports science in their training that allowed OCS to achieve 90 per cent gold awards for their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT).
The new Commander OCS, COL Chiang, is on the same page as his predecessor.
"What has evolved over these years is the way we conduct training for cadets, which is far more superior than before. We are able to harness technologies and other experiences to improve the system as a whole," he said.
COL Ong said he was leaving with fond memories. "The transformation that you see as a result of the personal efforts of the instructors is extremely encouraging - it warms your heart."
This was the sentiment shared by Colonels (COL) Ong Yu Lin and Chiang Hock Woon, the outgoing and incoming Commanders of OCS respectively.
This change of command was marked by a parade at the OCS on 27 Aug.
According to COL Ong, OCS has come a long way from its early days. Currently, it possesses "a harmonious mix of science and conventional training".
"I become very encouraged when I see the cadets putting in a lot of effort to improve themselves. Likewise, I become equally motivated when I see my instructors working very hard," he said.
Notable too during his stint as Commander OCS was the process of training transformation; a process his successor will have to see through.
"Many of the officers and wing commanders attend training courses at the National Institute of Education," he said. "And therefore we adopt a more formalised and institutionalised approach to many of our training methods."
COL Ong added that his instructors' willingness to try new approaches has contributed significantly to enhanced training for the cadets.
"It's good to go back to school. We learn many training methods from other trainers, and so we re able to marry theory and experience," he said.
In fact, it was the instructors' skilful application of sports science in their training that allowed OCS to achieve 90 per cent gold awards for their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT).
The new Commander OCS, COL Chiang, is on the same page as his predecessor.
"What has evolved over these years is the way we conduct training for cadets, which is far more superior than before. We are able to harness technologies and other experiences to improve the system as a whole," he said.
COL Ong said he was leaving with fond memories. "The transformation that you see as a result of the personal efforts of the instructors is extremely encouraging - it warms your heart."
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