Building bridges to boost graduate outcomes: PSB Academy enhances industry involvement in curriculum development, forges new links with key international education providers

Partnerships
with Bar�a Innovation Hub – Universitas for short courses in sports science,
IPRS for PR diploma modules, and new industry advisory panels announced during
CollabX Asia, the Academy’s week-long annual flagship conference.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 01 October 2018 – PSB
Academy (PSBA), one of Singapore’s leading private education institutions, has
committed to strengthening industry ties with a host of new partnerships that
will allow its students to benefit from exposure to professional best
practices, as well as more options to pursue specialised short courses in
executive education.

 

(Left) IPRS President Robert Conceicao and PSB Academy CEO Derrick Chang sign a collaboration agreement to co-develop PR modules for a communications diploma, the first such academic collaboration for the apex body for local PR practitioners.

Diplomas
co-developed with industry

At the institution’s week-long flagship
conference event, CollabX Asia,
PSBA CEO Derrick Chang signed a milestone agreement with the Institute of
Public Relations of Singapore (IPRS), which states their intention to
co-develop and deliver three Public Relations (PR) modules for a new Diploma in
Communication Management (course subject to regulatory approval). 

 

“IPRS welcomes the partnership with PSB
Academy on the proposed Diploma. It is a practical way for the Institute to
contribute to the development of budding PR practitioners to prepare them to
make their mark in the industry. The Diploma will impart relevant PR and
communication skills that are needed by key sectors of the industry: agency,
in-house, the public sector and not-for-profits. PSB Academy already offers
students opportunities to develop the cultural fluency needed to manage brands
on the international stage. We hope this partnership will provide the extra leg
up for students by learning from seasoned communicators,” says Robert
Conceicao, President, IPRS.

 

The Academy has plans to involve more of
Singapore’s industry bodies in the development of courses, and provide students
greater access to their professional networks, to help with their prospective
careers.

 

During the conference, the Institution of
Engineers Singapore also launched their first student chapter at a private
education institution, with PSBA’s School of Engineering and Technology. The
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Singapore, will too, soon
work with the institution to co-develop logistics and supply chain diploma
modules (subject to regulatory approval) mapped against current skill gaps in
the industry.

 

 

Access
to more internationally-recognised schools and providers

In its bid to expand its range of offerings
to meet the evolving needs of school-leavers and workers alike, PSBA announced
the launch of its first wave of executive education programmes, with its entry
into the Barça Innovation Hub – Universitas global network for the exclusive
dissemination of online sports training programmes in Singapore, Indonesia,
Myanmar and Vietnam.

 

From November, PSBA will offer 6
specialised short courses (subject to regulatory approval) in Sport Management/
Marketing and Sport Science from the Barça Innovation Hub digital platform.
Each course focuses on current and innovative topics like neuroscience in
training, injury prevention and sports nutrition, with a specific objective: to
improve the professionalization of the sports industry.

 

The partnership will be the first of many
international collaborations that PSBA hopes to establish, to offer lifelong
learners more options to develop niches or pursue interests in subjects that
are not yet widely available in Singapore. “To support the spirit of continual
self-improvement in our students and workers, it is imperative that we build
flexible learning options to complement our suite of full and part-time
courses. As a trusted education provider in the region, we can serve as a
platform for internationally-renowned providers like Barça Innovation Hub, to
bring their specialised expertise and knowledge hubs to students here,” says
Derrick Chang, CEO, PSB Academy.

 

Evolving
curricula with industry counsel

To further enhance the relevancy of its
courses to meet the modern needs of various industries, PSBA has strengthened industry
advisory panels for its School of Business and Management, and
School of Engineering and Technology, to work with the institution’s academics
in improving course curricula. The 16 senior executives from multinational and
local companies like HP, Singapore Power, and DHL Express, to startup brands
like Hcook, will meet on at least a bi-annual basis, to provide advice concerning
the development, maintenance and business acceptance of PSBA’s programmes from
a business and employer perspective. They will also provide necessary industry
connections that will give PSBA students the exposure to real work
environments, and opportunities to build professional networks.

 

“These new collaborations signal a new way
of working for us–in that we are no longer working in silo, but rather have
become an efficient platform for companies to tap on to build relevancy and
rigour into our courses. While no institution has a full grasp of how the nature
of jobs will change in the future, strengthening such ties with the industry
will make us nimbler as educators, as we train more versatile students and improve
their career-readiness–which continues to be a key measure of our
success as an institution,” says PSB Academy Dean, Dr Sam Choon Yin.