Joining the ECCE industry is often misunderstood by many, especially parents, as a low-income job that requires minimal education and skills, a job that does not promise a bright future, a job that does not earn their children the label, ‘professional’ and a job that does not bring lucrative income. It is not uncommon for many to perceive joining ECCE as only to become a teacher. However, this is no longer the trend in ECCE. The opportunities in ECCE are vast. For those who wish to teach children, they are the noble teachers; for those who are born business-minded, they are the proud owners of childcare centres and kindergartens; and for those who are scholarly-minded, they are the professional consultants and lecturers. Despite the differences in career objectives, these individuals who dare to venture into the ECCE industry all have a common goal, to transform lives of children and to make this world a better place.

In Malaysia, the ECCE industry has developed so rapidly resulting in increased demand and supply of early years caregivers and early childhood educators. For the first time, after many decades of the inception of preschool education in Malaysia, ECCE is now granted the status as a professional career, parallel with long-time popular professions such as medicine, law and business. This scenario is timely due to elevation of working mothers, transformation of knowledgeable and competent nation, and the potential ECCE has as a profitable business investment. REAL Education Group, with its 26 years of history in providing education from birth to silver hair, embrace this upswing in ECCE. The Group strive to play its role in supporting the Malaysian Government’s endeavour to produce competent preschool teachers and increase preschool children enrolment.
Why become a preschool teacher? Let’s begin with the understanding of children’s prime learning period. The human brain develops more rapidly between birth and age five than during any other subsequent period. For decades researchers have been aware of the extraordinary development of a child’s brain during the first five years of life. Recent advances in neuro-science have helped crystallize earlier findings, bringing new clarity and understanding of the field of early childhood brain development and learning. Children are born ready to learn. They cultivate 85 percent of their intellect, personality and skills by age five. The first months and years of life set the stage for lifelong learning. The preschool years are the time in which the brain begins to maximize efficiency and active learning continues throughout the early childhood years and middle childhood period, i.e. age six to age twelve. Preschool teachers play a crucial role in helping children maximize their development during this efficient period of an individual’s journey of life. Some would say that being a preschool teacher is more than just a job, it is a calling. As a preschool teacher, one holds responsibility of raising the next generation of leaders at their earliest stages of education. Opting to become an early caregiver and/ or childhood educator can be a very rewarding career. YOU will be part of the children’s most impressionable years, shaping their minds and personalities.

For individuals who have the passion for ECCE, but wish to be more than a teacher, the business-investment pathway is the way to go. Investing in preschool education, namely setting up childcare centres and kindergartens is a non-risky investment that promises good payoffs. Like any other businesses, running childcare centres and kindergartens is an art. The ECCE business requires specialized knowledge and trained skills to achieve greater success rate. To top up the passion, the ECCE business person will need to equip himself or herself with the latest trends and practices in ECCE, and skills in recruiting competent principals, preschool teachers, caregivers and helpers, managing staffs and operating centres legally and ethically. The ECCE investor needs to envisage the direction that will yield promising growth and profits. Business owners of childcare centres and kindergartens who master the art of running the ECCE business will be able to provide better facilities and services to children and parents. Hence, much knowledge and training is needed to help potential business investors master the art of ECCE business.
ALFA College, under the umbrella of REAL Education Group, help individuals who want to make ECCE their career; helping individuals to understand what they can be; why and how to become great teachers and why and how they become successful entrepreneurs in the ECCE industry. Supported by 26 years of experience championing preschool education through the chain of privately-owned REAL Kids Learning Centres in Malaysia, the ECCE programmes offered by ALFA, namely, Diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE), Executive Diploma in ECE and Diploma in ECCE Entrepreneurship draw references from REAL’s preschool education business to offer excellent curriculum and internship as well as on-the-job training to prepare individuals for the ECCE industry.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact ALFA College at 03-5631 9208 or email us : enquiry@alfa.edu.my. Welcome to visit our REAL Education Group’s website : http://www.real.edu.my

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkFNi0WEZO0

After a warm greeting and brief orientation by our friendly host, Dr. Supitcha, the first stop is with the School of Architecture to observe 2nd year architecture students working on technical drawings.

Students then had a special visit to the architectural archive where models of Thailand’s monuments and religious sites have been carefully stored.

The group next move onto the School of Decorative Arts where a small team of undergraduate students work on a multimedia project of special interest to our group.

The visit ends with a quick stop at the Fine Arts studio where students are working on sculptures  of live models.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for ALFA students to expand their design horizons outside the classroom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZTXyqfbDc4

In this two-part video, Theng Lik Tat, Shermynn Low, Chia Mei Hee and Kartini Retnam share their views of:

• the advantages each gained from their ALFA education
• the keys to success in the graphic design field
• career options and opportunities

Watch Part 1 video

Watch Part 2 video

Watch the two-part video as our panel speakers discuss why they chose to study graphic design and pursue careers in the industry.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViIu2SZRKyQ

In this video, Daniel See, Charles Lim, Damon Kok and Heng Thor Gan share their experiences of:

• personalized attention from ALFA lecturers during their three-year programme
• career advantages provided by the ALFA internship
• long study and training period demands persistence and dedication
• opportunities for career success in the industry without becoming a registered architect

Watch Part 1 video

Watch Part 2 video

Watch the two-part video series as our panel speakers discuss their views on the promise and challenges of college and professional life as designers and architects.

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In this video, Victor Loh, Jeryn Lee and Adam Yap share their experiences of:

• personalized attention from ALFA lecturers during their study period
• career advantages provided by the ALFA internship
• professional growth and satisfaction

Watch Part 1 video

Watch Part 2 video

Watch the two-part video series as our panel speakers discuss their views on the promise and challenges of college and professional life in interior architecture.

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How our Malaysian forefathers managed to survive in the tropical heat all day without aircon is difficult to imagine, but they did.  This solution of stepwells and passive cooling systems points to old-school, practical thinking to solve basic environmental design challenges. As Malaysia and the rest of the world faces issues of mounting population, dwindling fossil-fuel reserves and the threat of global warming, our ability to find workable solutions to house ourselves in an eco-friendly manner grows paramount.

Jaipur, India (CNN) — How did buildings keep cool before the invention of air conditioning? As architects consider how to reduce the energy demands of new buildings, some are turning to the past for simple, low-tech solutions.

At the height of summer, in the sweltering industrial suburbs of Jaipur, Rajasthan in north-west India, the Pearl Academy of Fashion remains 20 degrees cooler inside than out — by drawing on Rajasthan’s ancient architecture.

While the exterior appears very much in keeping with the trends of contemporary design, at the base of the building is a vast pool of water — a cooling concept taken directly from the stepwell structures developed locally over 1,500 years ago to provide refuge from the desert heat.

Award-winning architect Manit Rastogi, who designed the academy, explains that baoli — the Hindi word for stepwell — are bodies of water encased by a descending set of steps.

“When water evaporates in heat, it immediately brings down the temperature of the space around it,” he says.

While traditional stepwells often go many stories below ground level, Rastogi’s go down just four meters. However, the effect is the same and — like the ancient Mughal palaces before it — the academy enjoys its own microclimate.

Rastogi wonders: “How did they think up something so elaborate and yet so simple in its basic philosophy?

“How do you begin to think that you can dig into the ground and use the earth as a heat sink, have access to water, put a pavilion into it so that its comfortable through the year? It takes a lot of technology for us to think up something that simple now.”

But it’s not just the stepwells that are involved in this process of “passive cooling” — the general term applied to technologies or design features that cool buildings without power consumption.

The whole building is raised above the ground on pillars, creating an airy and shaded pavilion that is used as a recreation and exhibition space. Here, according to Rastogi, the walls are made from a heat-absorbing material that creates a “thermal bank” — so the warmth is slowly released at night when the temperature drops.

Centuries ago, latticed screens or “jaali” filtered direct sunlight into the palaces. The effect was decorative and helped reduce the heat. Likewise at The Pearl Academy, a latticed concrete screen runs the length of the building and provides a cooling outer skin.

“We’ve been able to demonstrate that good green building is not only cheaper to run; it’s not only more comfortable to live in — it’s also cheaper to build,” says Rastogi.

The success of the academy’s eco-design has had an impact. Regulations — based on these passive cooling techniques — were introduced last year for all new Indian government buildings.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/28/world/asia/ancient-air-conditioning-architecture/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7

The model is simple and elegant and does not rely on advanced technology so much as basic principles of passive cooling.  With the heavy use of air conditioning and its reliance on fossil fuels and hydrocarbons throughout Malaysia, building insulation to help retain moderate temperatures provides another simple means of conserving on energy use. Can you think of other ways of maintaining human comfort while reducing energy use?

It’s up to the new generation of designers, architects, environmental engineers, technicians and scientists to come up with workable solutions and proposals. Is that you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dx0K-QOdcM

Watch Part 1 video as teams work against the clock to transform abstract concepts into working designs.

Watch Part 2 video as teams present their designs to the judges who make their final decisions. The judging was close but a clear winner emerged.

The team-based design exercise gave participants the opportunity to work and think creatively together — all while having fun. Activities like the design challenge have proven successful in breaking the ice and making new friends. The exercise also demonstrates the immediacy and closeness students and lecturers quickly build among one another at ALFA College. It’s one of the chief factors that makes ALFA College a unique setting for learning and bringing the best out of its students.