Are ladies really bad driver? This month, we interviewed Singapore Industrial and Services Employees' Union (SISEU) Leader, Mohamad Izhardi Misram, Project Team Associate cum driving instructor at the Bukit Batok Driving Centre, and we are happy to learn that this hearsay is pretty much a misconception! Izhardi shared that in fact, the ability to drive transcends gender and personality, when it comes to driving.

Part of Izhardi’s main job scope involves helping to improve and innovate solutions that could address future training needs at the driving centre. The other half of his time at the center, is spend on teaching car drivers and  motorbike riders.

Izhardi is not just good on the road. He has an amazing voice and could even rap to the tune in Mandarin. We asked how he managed to pick up this third language and he attributed to watching many Chinese television variety shows and dramas on Channel 8 and following  Jay Chou’s performances

Like most leaders from Young NTUC, Izhardi enjoys helping people in his community.  He is also a self-confessed handyman who gain satisfaction from helping out with repair works at home.

 
 

1.    Please share with us a few fun facts/stories about your job in the Bukit Batok Driving Centre.

Contrary to popular belief, being a driving instructor is not just about simply asking the trainee to turn left or right, we have to identify what the trainee responds best to, in terms of their learning style and our content delivery.

At the same time, we need to have a macro view of traffic conditions to help trainees identify potential risks and to guide them to navigate through it.

I apply the same principle whilst being in the project team. While working out the finer details in a project, we need to be able to identify blind spots and take in a lot of information to make informed decisions. All this while, not losing sight of the bigger picture.

2.    What do you enjoy the most from your job?

I am happy to be part of a team that actually charts out what the driving centre may evolve to be in the future, even though much of the work is involved in the planning stage.

Along the way, some learning points have proved to be steep. However, I enjoy the challenge as well as learning process and the knowledge that I have otherwise would not be able to acquire.

3.    How long have you been volunteering at Young NTUC and what made you decide to step forward?

I have been volunteering for close to 2 years now. What led me to volunteer was an encounter with a colleague at work who happened to be a union leader and a strong workers’ activist. That encounter left me inspired to learn more about the labour movement and eventually it motivated me to join in as well to champion the workers’ interest.

Through my journey as a union leader, I am blessed to find many like-minded individuals who are passionate about serving and are very driven to play their part in the continuous process of nation building. Fast forward to today, I am active in SISEU and also help to co-chair the Industrial Sector for Young NTUC.

4.    What do you do as a union leader and what are some of the memorable things that have happened while being a union leader?

We lend a hand to fellow workers regardless of who they are.

One of the memorable events that took place recently was the project that was spearheaded by Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC). Many of the fellow union leaders came forward to help with  mixing, bottling, packaging and distribution of about 200,000 bottles of hand sanitizers for the migrant workers’ community. It was a labour-intensive process and some of us even went home with blistered and dry hands. Despite that, we soldiered on with unwavering spirit and continued to support the work for several days after. This experience together with the other union leaders made it all the more memorable.

 
 

5.    Please complete this sentence “To me, Young NTUC is...”

“To me, Young NTUC is like an extended family! It’s a melting pot of driven youths who stick together through thick and thin.”