SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 10 May 2018 -PSB Academy^[2] (PSB), one of Singapore's leading private education institutions celebrated the inauguration of its STEM Campus today. The new campus at Jackson Square in Toa Payoh, is a multi-million-dollar facility that will house PSB's School of Engineering and Technology, and School of Life and Physical Sciences, with upgraded laboratories built for the computer science and engineering, life sciences, sports science and nursing faculties.

From left: Mr Viva Sinniah (Board Chairman, PSB Academy), Mr Wooseok Jun (Board Director, PSB Academy), Mr Patrick Tay (Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC), Dr Christopher Heine (Intermediate Capital Group), Mr Tan Chong Jin (Board Director, PSB Academy), Mr Derrick Chang (Chief Executive Officer, PSB Academy)

Building on tripartism

PSB's STEM Campus was officially launched by Assistant Secretary-General for the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Patrick Tay, with long-time institutional partners from the Labour Movement and universities from the UK and Australia in attendance, together with industry representatives like VX Sports, The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Pearson Education and more.

As part of its launch event, the Academy commemorated its partnership with the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees' Union (SISEU), by recognizing their longest serving staff member of 34 years, and long-serving union member, Fawziah Binte Abdul Rahaman. In his speech, PSB CEO Derrick Chang underscored the importance and strength of tripartite collaboration as key to the Academy's success in the future.

"Prime Minister Lee determined tripartism as a crucial ingredient to Singapore's long-term success. Our strong partnership with the likes of SISEU and self-help groups like SINDA, MENDAKI and Eurasian Association, provides us a channel to enable equal and accessible quality higher education opportunities across life stages, that gives us the platform to build on our success as The Future Academy. These collective efforts ensure that we not only equip students to contribute to a strong, successful Singapore workforce built for success in the region, but also nurture resilient advocates for lifelong and continual learning," says Derrick.

Skills-based programmes to nurture STEM talent

Building on its growth momentum from the launch of its City Campus in May last year, PSB will continue its focus on developing skills-based diploma and degree programmes focused on transferrable skills, designed for both school-leavers and workers looking to upgrade themselves. In the institution's pipeline of launches, are niche programmes in engineering, big data as well as communication.

"Singapore's Industry Transformation Maps continue to guide the way we plan for programmes, which are mapped against growth industries in the region. The recent launch of our community nursing programme, for example, was started in partnership with UK's Glasgow-Caledonian University, in a bid to fuel the nation's bid to establish a sustainable healthcare system focused on community care. The investment in our new STEM campus, purpose-built with industry-standard laboratory environments to train students with applied skills in the sciences, is further testament to our commitment to building our hotbed for STEM talent in Asia," says Dr Martin Grünert, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), PSB Academy.

Transnational education opportunities for the region

In partnership with universities from the UK and Australia, as well as collaborations with colleges in Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and China, PSB is looking to build on its transnational network, to offer its students opportunities to gain exposure to other countries, with the chance to study across campuses.

Already, its long-time partner The University of Newcastle, Australia, offers its students in Singapore the chance to complete semesters in their home campus in Australia. Likewise, students from Chindwin College, Myanmar, have the chance to pursue courses with PSB Academy in Singapore, upon completing relevant programmes in their home country.

"We're very privileged to host over 11,000 students from over 50 nationalities each year, and are excited about creating fresh possibilities for students in ASEAN and beyond, to broaden their perspectives and reap the full benefits of our transnational network of partners. Even as we train students for the new economy, we want them to appreciate the nuances of culture and understanding of new ways of doing business, to create resilient global citizens--Future Makers that will be able to thrive with change," says Dr Sam Choon-Yin, Dean, PSB Academy.

About PSB Academy

Productivity is at the heart of PSB Academy. Once known as Singapore's Productivity and Standards Board, PSB Academy is known today as "The Future Academy", with an approach to education that focuses on what really matters: performance in the real-world.

In 2016, PSB Academy was awarded "Best private institution" for Engineering at the JobsCentral Learning T.E.D Awards, 2017. It was conferred "Education Institution of the Year" by APAC Insider at the Singapore Business Awards in 2017. The Academy hosts over 11,000 local and international students in its slate of certificate, diploma, degree and postgraduate programmes every year.

Learn more at: www.psb-academy.edu.sg^[3].

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} PSB Academy (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
3. ^{^} www.psb-academy.edu.sg (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)