Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) has teamed up with Alibaba Cloud – the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group – to launch an entrepreneurship certification programme to help tertiary students in Singapore scale up their start-ups. This is the first partnership between Alibaba Cloud and a Singapore tertiary institution to jointly offer a university-accredited programme.
This programme is open to individuals who have developed a working prototype or are running their own start-ups, with preference given to existing start-ups which are scalable, show potential for growth beyond Singapore, or meet pressing societal needs. SUSS and Alibaba Cloud will not charge a course fee for this programme in their commitment to encourage and recognise entrepreneurship.
The programme comprises three compulsory components: participation in the two-day Alibaba Cloud Certified Professional ("ACP") certification course, participation in pitching sessions to investors organised by SUSS and Alibaba Cloud, and successful securing of funding. To complete the programme, participants must successfully meet all three requirements.
Participants also have the option to read, for free and without having to take examinations, any of the over 500 SUSS modular courses that they deem relevant for their businesses during the period of participation. No credits will be awarded for these. For the duration of the programme, participants will have free access to Alibaba Cloud services. They will also enjoy mentorship by Alibaba executives, as well as C-level industry experts who have extensive experiences relating to entrepreneurship.
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants who are SUSS students will be awarded a Minor in Entrepreneurship worth 40 credit units. Non-SUSS participants will graduate with a certificate and have their credit units recognised should they enrol in an SUSS degree programme subsequently.
Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, President of SUSS, said: "SUSS has a suite of modular courses that can help participants to pick up functional knowledge and skills that they need in running and growing their businesses. However, to be a successful entrepreneur requires more than theoretical knowledge. Awarding credit units to successful programme participants is the University's way of recognising that effective learning can take place outside the classroom."
"We are very excited to work with SUSS, which shares our vision of developing the next generation of outstanding entrepreneurs. This programme is another example of our commitment to provide the exciting drivers of change to start-ups with Alibaba Cloud's advanced technology as well as Alibaba Group's global resources," said Mr Joey Tan, Head of Global Strategic Initiatives, Alibaba Cloud.