Khen Kee Wei has always been a believer and advocate of lifelong learning. He recently made the switch from Professional Officer to Associate Faculty at SIT after taking on the role of Senior Fitness and Events Manager at Aspire55. His industry experience enables him to continue sharing his knowledge and passion for sport science with his students.
Khen Kee Wei (centre) is an Associate Faculty in the Health and Social Sciences cluster. With him are Year 1 Physiotherapy students Jayden Wee (left) and Benjamin Tan (right). (SIT Photo)
Kee Wei never thought that he would be working at a university. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Sport Science from the University of Western Australia, he took up different jobs in sport management.
He explained, “Back then, I had wanted to pursue my interest in sport science, but there were very few opportunities as it is quite a niche field. While sport management involves managing facilities, equipment, and teams, sport science is related to human health and performance.”
Upgrading to Avoid Inertia
Although he enjoyed his work as the head of the sports and recreation department in a members’ only club, he felt inertia creeping up on him after eight years in sport management. So, when the opportunity came to join SIT as a Professional Officer (PO), Kee Wei decided to give it a go. He was drawn to the idea that POs at SIT are regarded as industry experts who play a unique and crucial role in students’ learning.
As a PO in the Health and Social Sciences cluster, Kee Wei juggled various roles including working hand in hand with faculty members to conduct practical sessions. He was also a co-module lead and teaching staff for Physiotherapy foundational modules such as Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology.
His experience as a PO enabled him to pursue expanded work opportunities in the industry and he started conducting training for personal trainers. He saw it as a chance to pass on his knowledge in sport science and help elevate the professional standards of personal trainers at the same time.
“To me it was a huge responsibility. I wanted to ensure that I passed on the correct information and skills, so that the personal trainers would be able to help their clients.”
Continuous Learning Through Self-study
Taking on the job as PO motivated Kee Wei to elevate his own knowledge though research and self-study. He also upgraded his qualifications and skills by getting a Master of Science in Exercise and Sport Studies from Nanyang Technological University. After making the transition from PO to Associate Faculty recently, he found it even more important to make self-study part of his routine. As Associate Faculty, he conducts classroom teaching whilst continuing to provide practical insights to his students.
When he is not working as an Associate Faculty at SIT, Kee Wei is a Senior Fitness & Events Manager at Aspire55, where he specialises in functional strength training for older adults – something he was already doing when he was a PO. Being able to stay in the field and apply his skills and knowledge in the real world is important to him.
He said, “Since we aim to prepare SITizens to solve real-world problems when they graduate, we need to do the same ourselves! It is important to ensure that we keep up with what is happening in the industry.”
What Does the Future Hold?
Kee Wei said, “I do not want to let my knowledge in sport science go to waste or become obsolete, so I will keep looking for ways to gain more in-depth and specialised knowledge in this field. This is something I hope to inspire in our SITizens too!”
In the meantime, Kee Wei is grateful that he can experience the best of both worlds. He finds it rewarding to apply his knowledge of sport science to better the lives of his clients at Aspire55. At the same time, his experience working ‘on the ground’ ensures that what he shares with SIT students is relevant.
Not one to remain idle, Kee Wei is already looking out for the next challenge. Whatever the future holds, he plans to ensure that inertia does not set in again. By continuing to hone his expertise in both sport management and sport science, he hopes to broaden his career options.
He shared, “When I was a PO, I was roped in for a research project on a muscle strength testing device for rehab. Now, I am in a unique setting where I coach seniors in exercise training, which offers potential research opportunities with SIT faculty in the near future!”
