Partnerships with Barça 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^[1] - 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^[2], 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^[3] 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^[4]--which continues to be a key measure of our success as an institution," says PSB Academy Dean, Dr Sam Choon Yin.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} CollabX Asia (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
3. ^{^} industry advisory panels (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)
4. ^{^} improve their career-readiness (www.psb-academy.edu.sg)