PSB: Asian Academy for industry and business

PSB Academy to become an Asian Academy for industry and business

Singapore. PSB Academy Pte Ltd (PSB Academy), a member of TÜV SÜD Group (TÜV SÜD), announced today at the opening of its new Campus @ Delta, that it will become an Asian Academy for Industry and Business to meet the growing technical and specialist manpower needs in the region.

In partnership with its German parent, TÜV SÜD, the move will allow the PSB Group in Singapore to not just provide regional educational training for the trade and industry but also offer a complete range of testing, certification, consulting and education services across Asia and the world.

The TÜV SÜD Group is one of the world’s top technical service companies offering a range of services embracing consultancy, inspections, tests and expert opinions as well as certification and training. Established 140 years ago, the TÜV SÜD Group has grown substantially and is today represented internationally by more than 130 sites. The Group has about 11,000 employees and sales of more than EUR 1.1 billion in 2006.

_{(From left) Dr Axel Stepken (Member of the Board TÜV SÜD AG) , Mr Lim Hng Kiang (Minister for Trade & Industry), Mr Henry Heng (CEO of PSB Academy).}

Asia’s first TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific Corporate University will be set up at PSB Academy to provide induction programmes, value workshops, management, senior executive development and technical programmes to TÜV SÜD employees in Asia Pacific. Launching the TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific Corporate University, Dr Axel Stepken, Member of the Board, TÜV SÜD AG, said, “TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific will be establishing its own corporate university to offer holistic learning for staff development. The corporate university will host programs and learning initiatives, each customized and aligned to the vision and business strategies for Asia Pacific. The corporate university will reside within PSB Academy as she has the necessary expertise and infrastructure. The setting up of this corporate university allows TÜV SÜD Asia Pacific to offer up-to-date technical solutions, consistently and cost-effectively across all its offices in Asia Pacific. It also facilitates know how transfer and networking amongst our colleagues in the region.”

Speaking at the Official Opening of the PSB Academy Campus @ Delta, Dr Stepken said, “We envisage PSB Academy growing to be amongst the top people developers in Singapore and Asia. It is my intention to see PSB Academy evolving into a unique institution, one that is totally relevant to the industry, much like how TÜV SÜD is steeped in the traditions of linking with the industry.”

Mr Henry Heng, CEO, PSB Academy Pte Ltd said, “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the PSB Academy. We did not look like this 43 years ago, when we started in 1964, as Productivity Unit under the Singapore Economic Development Board. As a government agency then, we were charged with the responsibility to promote training to enhance Singapore’s productivity. This unit subsequently grew to become National Productivity Board and spearhead supervisory development, quality circles training, productivity-related training and National programmes ranging from the National Skills Recognitions System, to Critical Enabling Skills. In the last 43 years, the PSB Academy has indeed grown in tandem with the nation, and contributed significantly to nation building.”

“With the opening of our new campus, we begin a new lap in our journey to become one of the leading private education institutions not just in Singapore, but in the whole of Asia. This new campus and its complete student support facility will significantly strengthen our capability to play a key role in helping to anchor Singapore as the Global Schoolhouse for the Asia Pacific.”

PSB Academy aims to increase its full-time student intake to 3,000 and revenue by 50% to S$60 million by end 2009. More than half of our full time students are pursuing degree programmes with us.

Mr Heng further added, “With the Campus @ Delta, we intend to give them (students) the space to discover their own learning, both in and out of the lecture rooms. Add to this, we will provide some real-life work experience and training within the TÜV SÜD group of companies throughout Asia and the world.”

The Academy now has eight colleges outside Singapore – one in Vietnam, two in Indonesia and five in China. This is part of our feeder strategy to continue bringing in more international students into Singapore. PSB Academy will double its China market from the current five schools to ten schools. Its fifth campus in Urumuqi in Xinjiang is set to open in September 2007.

The college will be based in Urumuqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang autonomous region with a population of more than 2.1 million. It is expected that the college will have an excess of 3,000 students by 2011 taking various PSB diploma programmes.

Officiating at the opening ceremony this afternoon, Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang said, “PSB Academy’s growth story is a bright spark in the potential economic opportunities for our education sector. I look forward to seeing more education players coming forth with strong growth strategies and capabilities. The opening of this campus today marks a key milestone in PSB Academy’s history. Congratulations to the management and staff, and I wish PSB Academy success in the years ahead.”

“With the support of its new parent, TÜV SÜD AG, PSB Academy aims to have a total of more than 20 overseas schools and colleges within the next decade, and garner at least 60% of its group revenue from overseas ventures.”

The Minister later toured the new PSB Academy at Tiong Bahru together with Dr Stepken. Costing a total of S$10 million to refurbish and equip, the new full-fledged campus covers a gross floor area of 27,000 square metres. It boasts two new state-of-the-art life science laboratories worth S$2 million. PSB Academy is the first private education provider which has an advanced life sciences laboratory, which can fit up to 200 students. The labs are custom-built to cater for the life sciences programmes conducted in collaboration with the University of Western Australia.

The campus is also equipped with student-centric facilities – such as a Student hub, a gym, basketball courts, soccer field – which allows students to have a holistic learning environment.

About PSB Academy Pte Ltd

PSB Academy Pte Ltd has been leading and educating Singapore’s workforce for the past 43 years. Widely recognised as a premium institution that provides quality education, it is highly regarded by both individuals and industry. Today, PSB Academy is one of Singapore’s largest education and training institutions, with over 30,000 individuals attending its courses annually.

PSB Academy is proud to partner some the finest universities from Australia, U.K. and the U.S to offer internationally recognised academic qualifications. The range of corporate executive programmes has also been the choice from many MNCs, government agencies and companies, both in Singapore and the region.

PSB Academy was one of the first few providers to earn the Singapore Quality Class (SQC) award for Private Education Organisations (PEOs). It is also CaseTrust accredited and ISO9001:2000 certified.

For further information, see www.psb-academy.edu.sg .