The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Bay Area Network, an established business and management consultancy, have joined hands to co-launch the inaugural SUSS – Bay Area Network Success Academy in Shenzhen, China today.
The Academy will serve as a key nexus for academic and industry partners in Singapore and China to catalyse partnerships geared towards unlocking new experiential learning and real-workplace training opportunities for students and professionals alike. Grounded on the SUSS commitment to lifelong learning and creating social value, the Academy will also groom well-rounded future leaders who can excel and make positive contributions in the rapidly evolving world.
The launch was held at the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub today, in a ceremony witnessed by Ms Charine Yong, Consul (Political), Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Guangzhou and Representatives of Qianhai Authority, Shenzhen Talent Work Bureau, Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality and Shenzhen University. Over 60 guests attended the event, including representatives from institutions and industry partners from Singapore, Shenzhen and Beijing.
Bay Area Network will work closely with SUSS to develop student and executive programmes while collaborating on research and learning projects, with a focus on cultivating an entrepreneurship mindset, spirit of innovation and future career readiness amongst students.
The Academy will offer two distinct tracks, Personal Success and Professional Success, to unlock individual potential and cultivate mindsets for lifelong learning.
Through the Academy in Shenzhen, SUSS seeks to elevate cross-learning and entrepreneurial journeys for students. Students from SUSS and other pre-tertiary and polytechnics in Singapore will have the opportunity to be immersed in the China start-up scene and collaboratively learn and innovate with their peers in the country.
One key initiative is the Impact Start-up Challenge (ISC), a credit-bearing course that offers a platform for Singapore and China students to experience the start-up ecosystem, generate ideas, and apply their proposals in real-world settings. ISC Shenzhen will kick-start in January 2024, in collaboration with the Shenzhen University, based on the theme of Technology for Social Good.
The Academy in Shenzhen will also leverage the SUSS expertise in adult and workplace learning to create professional training and development solutions, by collaborating with industry partners for work attachments, internships and Industry-Based Study Programmes. In addition, executive and graduate programmes by SUSS will be made directly available to industry partners in China. SUSS will also partner with local institutions to customise training programmes to boost their capability growth for the future.
Professor Tan Tai Yong, President of SUSS, said, "SUSS going regional is part of our strategic growth to extend our impact and partnerships from Singapore. China is one such prime location that we plant our success academies, through our long-time partnership with Bay Area Network, to benefit students and enterprises from both nations. The Academy will offer dynamic overseas programmes in the form of study trips and internships to entrepreneurship experiences for students to gain a holistic, future-ready education. It will also serve a dual function of raising professional competences of corporates through agile training and development. We look forward to working closely with our Chinese partners to expand our education circle in the region.”
As a strategic partner for SUSS, Bay Area Network has a proven record of making meaningful connections in its wide network of clients and partners that spans across various industries.
Ms Cynthia Huang, Managing Director of Bay Area Network, said, “We are very proud to be the strategic partners of SUSS in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. We will strive to build an excellent platform to connect talents and communications between both sides, and hope that our SUSS-Bay Area Network Success Academy can make an impact in the region.”
SUSS has collaborated with partners in China on various programmes that enhance the professional readiness of its students. Since 2017, about 80 Singapore students have been emplaced on overseas work attachments ranging from six to 24 weeks in various cities in China, including Beijing and Shenzhen.
One of the distinctive courses is a credit-bearing Industry Based Study Programme (IBSP) developed in collaboration with Taobao Education. The programme allows students to delve into the latest technologies employed in e-commerce while gaining insights directly from industry practitioners. More than 250 students from SUSS and other Institutes of Higher Learning in Singapore have participated in the programme since its inception in 2019.
SUSS is actively extending its regional educational circle by launching the Success Academy in China and across Asia. The Beijing Academy was launched yesterday, in collaboration with My CN Hub. Last week, SUSS partnered with the Embassy Education in Ho Chi Minh City to launch the Academy in Vietnam, the first of several academies in Southeast Asia. Plans are underway to establish the Academy in Indonesia and Thailand next year.
For more information, please visit: www.suss.edu.sg/success-academy.