AA Singapore awards book prizes to high-performing graduates of Nitec’s automotive technology course.
AA Singapore recently gave out book prizes to four graduates of Nitec’s Automotive Technology course. AA Highway speaks to the recipients, Saiful Lizan B Safuan, Muhammad Harith bin Mohammed Hanafi, Mohamed Asrie bin Rahmat and Sieow Boon Keong, on their journey of learning.
SAIFUL LIZAN
Saiful Lizan’s interest in automotive technology was sparked by his supervisor in the army. “He taught me to carry out repairs and maintenance of vehicles while I was undergoing my National Service,” reveals the 24-year-old.
The two-year course has proven to be useful, as he is now an apprentice in the automotive industry while undertaking a Work-Study Diploma in Land Transport Engineering. On a personal front, he also gets to apply the skills acquired during the course when he is called upon to repair his sister’s car and his dad’s bicycle. AA’s Book Prize money has further facilitated his interest as he used it to buy his own set of tools.
When not working on vehicles, Saiful likes to cook and bake. In fact, he was almost set to turn that into his profession and enrolled in a culinary school, but later decided it was not his calling. His other pastimes are gaming, photography and café hopping.
The middle child has an older sister and younger brother. His father is a cargo supervisor, and mother, an infant care teacher. The family lives in Sengkang.
MUHAMMAD HARITH
A fascination with the similarities between automobiles and with the human body inspired Harith to take up the automotive technology course. He was further inspired by his dad, who used to ride a motorcycle with a two-stroke engine. The 19-year-old, whose favourite subject in school was biology, reflects that the car engine works a lot like the human brain.
For Harith, the course has been a stepping stone towards learning more about car repairs. To further his interest, he has applied for a course in Common and Mechanical Engineering at a polytechnic, and aspires to become an automotive body designer.
With an eye for design, it is little wonder that Harith enjoys crafting things out of wood. One creation he is especially proud of is a prototype of a shoe rack he made, complete with a seat and holders for socks and hand sanitisers.
A keen sportsman, Harith plays floorball, hockey and sepak takraw. He played floorball for his school team while in primary school and hockey in the National Junior League while in secondary school, and is currently a member of a hockey club. The son of a deliveryman and housewife, he has two older sisters and resides in Woodlands.
MOHAMED ASRIE
Asrie’s interest in vehicles was ignited at the tender age of four, when he began watching telecasts of Formula One races. This was further stoked when he resided in the Philippines as a teenager. There, he learnt about vehicles and repairing them from his late grandfather, who worked as a supervisor for a car company. “If not for him, I wouldn’t be as addicted to vehicles,” admits Asrie, whose dream car is the AE86 Toyota Sprinter Trueno 3-door GT-APEX. “It is lightweight and has an iconic look,” he elaborates.
Nitec’s automotive technology course has armed him with the basics of automotive vehicles that could open doors to a career as a service advisor or technician. Going beyond that, Asrie now plans to take a course related to aviation at the polytechnic as he is “obsessed” with planes as well and hopes to work in the airline industry.
During his free time, he enjoys e motorsport racing. He is also a self-taught pianist who composes his own music. An only child, the 19-year-old lives with his father, who is in pest control, and his mother, a teacher.
SIEOW BOON KEONG
Given that one of his favourite subjects in school was Design and Technology, it is not surprising that Boon Keong enrolled in Nitec’s automotive technology course. Beyond equipping him with practical knowledge of automobile repair, the course, he avers, has also given him an insight into the business side of the industry.
He views it an important step to pursuing a career in engineering and has, to this end, applied to study electrical engineering at a polytechnic. Thrilled at having received the book prize, he considers it an “acknowledgement of his mastery of the workings of the automobile industry”.
The 20-year-old, who describes himself as a “jack of all trades”, enjoys playing video games and hanging out with friends. An only child, he lives in the west with his dad, a driver for a private company, and his mum, an operations manager.
AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION SINGAPORE BOOK PRIZES
The Automobile Association of Singapore Book Prizes was established in collaboration with Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in 2022, as part of the Association’s ongoing efforts and commitment to building strong and meaningful connections with the community. The Automobile Association Singapore Book Prize has been designed to recognise and reward outstanding graduates from the Nitec in Automotive Technology course, and to promote excellence in the field.
