SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 19 June 2020 - PSB Academy (PSBA), one of Singapore's leading private education institutions, have pledged to renew partnerships with Australian universities The University of Newcastle, Australia (UON) and La Trobe University (LTU), to continue to offer select undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Singapore for another five years.

From top left clockwise:

Professor Sally Chan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Singapore) and Chief Executive Officer, University of Newcastle Singapore

Dr Charles Ong, Head of School of Life and Physical Sciences, PSB Academy

Derrick Chang, CEO, PSB Academy

Dr Mike Angove, Head, Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, La Trobe University, Australia

A World's Top 200 University strengthens its roots in Singapore

Ranked 197 in the latest QS World University Rankings 2021, UON has been partners with PSB Academy since 2006. Together, they have educated over 6,000 graduates in Singapore in the fields of Business, Commerce, Communication, Engineering, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety and Information Technology.

Professor Sally Chan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Singapore) and Chief Executive Officer, University of Newcastle Singapore, cites UON Singapore as the Asia Pacific hub of the University. The University's strong culture of inclusion and collaboration in its core planning, teaching, and assessment initiatives with PSB, is its key to maintaining a strong and sustainable internationalisation strategy in Singapore.

"Our shared values with PSB Academy have allowed us to be steadfast and effective in developing industry-ready graduates for Singapore and across the region for close to 15 years now. Our students and graduates in Singapore are integral to our international community of excellence. We continue to be confident in our partnership, even as we face formidable challenges in the higher education industry in these trying times," says Professor Chan.

STEM education for the life sciences sector remains a bright spot

LTU has seen a year-on-year student population growth of more than 30% in Singapore since it started its first intake with PSBA in 2016. A Top 15 University in Australia for Biological Sciences QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020, it offers undergraduate courses in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences as well as chemistry through this partnership, and has enrolled close to 1,000 students in less than five years.

"PSB Academy and the University aim to strengthen our position as a leading higher education provider of STEM education in Singapore, and are looking at developing programmes in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Digital Health and Nursing Science, to meet the demands of the fast-growing biotechnology and healthcare industry in Asia Pacific.," says Dr Charles Ong, Head of School of Life and Physical Sciences at PSBA.

"Our survey with current PSBA life sciences students show their thirst for more options in postgraduate studies and a wider range of specialist skillsets in these fields.," says Dr Mike Angove, Head, Department of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, La Trobe University, Australia. "Given the accelerated support for the biomedical manufacturing sector and Singapore's remarkable potential in Asia's race for a coronavirus vaccine, we are in a privileged position to work with committed partners like PSBA to develop talent that will advance the role of medical and pharmaceutical research."

Alliances in education key to supporting a post-COVID-19 roadmap for growth

"Our mutual resilience and collective resolve to emerge stronger from this pandemic, has only deepened our commitment to international partners like UON and LTU. Our schools and universities face new tests of resilience, but education needs to continue to be a bulwark for the global community's journey to recovery. We will forge forward, to innovate and expand our offerings, and to renew our focus on delivering on strong graduate outcomes in the face of these difficult times," says Derrick Chang, CEO, PSB Academy.

To mark this partnership milestone with UON and LTU, and also working together with other reputable university partners from Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), PSBA will host an ANZ Virtual University Fair to recruit students interested in pursuing an Australian or New Zealander degree in Singapore. Other partners featured in the fair are

• Edith Cowan University (ECU) which is One of Two Australian Universities that is designated Academic Centre for Cyber Security Excellence (ACCSE)  and offers courses in cyber security and ethical hacking
• Massey University, which offers a Master of Analytics Programme sponsored by SAS
• University of Canberra, which offers Doctor of Business Administration programme
• University of Wollongong (UOW), which is also ranked among the World's Top 200 Universities (QS Rankings 2021) and offers degree courses in a range of business disciplines