Annual Report 2016

SIM Global Education

Expanding Boundaries in a Globalised World

At SIM Global Education (SIM GE), defining change has always been our mantra.

We don’t wait for change before refining our holistic educational offerings. We continually expand our diverse range of programmes and students from around the world. We keep abreast of change so that our learners don’t have to play catch up but remain a skip ahead of the game. And we continue to expand the boundaries of our community, equipping more people to be positive change makers globally.

Education for a Changing World

New Programmes

To meet new needs in a constantly changing market, SIM GE introduced several new programmes.

List of programmes
  • University of London, UK
    • Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (Full-time)
    • Master of Science in Professional Accountancy (Part-time)
    • Graduate Diploma in International Relations, Information Systems (Full-time)
    • Graduate Diplomas in Accounting, Banking, Economics, Finance, and Management (Full-time and Part-time)
  • University of Birmingham, UK
    • Foundation in Social Sciences, Business and Law (Full-time)
  • The University of Warwick, UK
    • Master of Science in Programme and Project Management (Part-time)
    • Postgraduate Award in Programme and Project Management (Part-time)
  • RMIT University, Australia
    • Bachelor of Applied Science (Construction Management) (Honours) (Part-time)
  • University of Stirling, UK
    • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sports Studies and Marketing (Part-time)

Stellar Students’ Achievements

SIM GE students across various university programmes continued to earn accolades for their academic achievements. The University of London (UOL) programmes saw a record 191 students achieve first class honours, the highest number in our 30 years of running UOL’s programmes. We continued to be the overseas centre with the highest number of first class graduates in the UOL International Programmes. Students from other programmes such as the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York also did well with more than 65% of the year’s cohort achieving Latin Honours.

SIM-UOL’s record number of first class graduates was a fitting tribute to the 30 years of partnership between SIM GE and UOL which had produced more than 30,000 alumni. The year-long anniversary celebrations was anchored by a public lecture by Professor Conor Gearty from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Our SIM GE students also performed well in competitions aimed to hone their real-world prowess. Among their wins, SIM GE students emerged runner-up in the Business China Youth Showdown as well as the UOB Kay Hian annual virtual stock trading competition.

SIM-UOL

30th Anniversary Lunch

Forming Strategic Alliances

Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) were signed with Maybank Kim Eng Securities (MKES) and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) to offer internship and employment opportunities for our students.

Under the MOU with MKES, students will get access to news, research data, trading and charting tools as part of their hands-on experience at the SIM Financial Training Centre.

The collaboration with ICAEW will allow accounting students, through credit exemptions, to attain the Associate Chartered Accountant qualification in a shorter duration.

SIM GE also signed an MOU with UOL to establish a new regional centre to better engage stakeholders such as government bodies and UOL’s network of teaching institutions. The new centre also aims to raise awareness of UOL and SIM GE programmes to make them more accessible to students in the region.

Maximising Student Experiences and Holistic Development

Enriching Experiences through Project 1095

Project 1095 was relaunched in 2016 with a sharper focus and vigour to help enrich students’ experiences beyond the classroom during their study (which averages three years or 1095 days) at SIM GE. Project 1095 attempts to heighten students’ awareness of the various students’ activities and services that help develop them holistically. Students are encouraged to tap on activities and platforms such as conferences, competitions, exchange programmes, overseas service projects and wellness programmes to broaden their minds beyond academics. Students can access all these through a one-stop shop with the new Project 1095 microsite.

Global Outreach through the International Summer Programme

We launched the International Summer Programme (ISP) to develop the global competencies of 60 participants for both SIM and non-SIM students. The ISP included in-depth lectures, case studies, industry visits, community service projects and cultural workshops in an international setting to expose students to a different economic and social context.

In 2016, we saw the first batch of nine SIM students travel to Dozen in Japan to collaborate with local authorities in the reforms of schools and industry to arrest the population decline and develop the region’s sustainability.

SIM GE and University of Stirling launch sports scholarship for local athletes

SIM GE student Keith Teo bags the gold medal in archery at the Asean University Games

Inaugural batch of SIM GE students in Dozen, Japan for their community work

Caring for Students’ Total Well-being

To nurture resilient physical and mental health that will serve students well over their lifetime, we organised more than 100 well-being events throughout the year. Over 3,400 students participated in events ranging from art-jamming and cycling to self-improvement workshops.

Developing Talent through Arts and Sports

Our 70 student clubs add diversity and vibrancy to campus and provide a platform for students to express and hone their talents in sports, arts and other pursuits.

The SIM String Ensemble, SIM Malay Cultural and Muslim Society and SIM Dreamwerkz were among the student clubs that staged productions in dance, theatre and music. Other clubs such as the International Student Communities and SIM Esprimere clubs were also given the honour to perform at the ASEAN University Games opening and closing ceremonies.

Our athletes also took part in many local and international sports competitions and bagged a total of 50 gold medals in various events. Significant achievements included the men’s Basketball team defending their championship title for the 4th consecutive year at the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Games; the SIM Dragonboat Club women’s team winning their third consecutive Prime Minister’s Challenge Trophy; and Team SIM posting one of its best results in the Singapore University Games 2016 with seven golds.

Audrey Lim

Vice-President, DreamWerkz

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Marketing, University of Southampton

Kick-starting Students’ Careers

As students come to the end of their study, they were given the final boost to launch their careers. More than 8,600 students participated in career development events and activities in the year. The revamped annual Career and Internship Fair and the second edition of the Career Connect Festival provided opportunities for students to explore career choices and meet and network with potential employers. Despite the sluggish economy and job market, a record 110 companies participated in these two events as compared to 39 last year.

The inaugural ASME (Association of Small and Medium Enterprises) Forum was organised to provide SIM students and graduates with career and internship opportunities at SMEs. Twenty-one SMEs across various industries such as real estate, healthcare and security services took part.

In 2016, we secured additional internship opportunities for SIM GE students with public sector agencies such as GIC Private Limited and IE Singapore. More than 500 internships were completed by our students in 2016.

Developing our Faculty

The quality of our faculty – including both full-time and associate, and their teaching, is paramount in SIM. We introduce new teaching methods and provide platforms to keep our faculty current and maximise their potential as mind-shapers.

Reflecting the importance of games and technology in education, our 6th Education Conference was aptly themed Gamification & Game-based Learning: Higher Education Possibilities. The conference, helmed by keynote speaker Dr Ashley Tan, an independent education and technology consultant and former Head of Centre for e-Learning at National Institute of Education, was attended by over 120 SIM GE academics and invited guests. Three other plenary speakers from NUS, NTU and SMU respectively also delivered papers from a practitioner’s perspective.

To enhance learning for students, SIM piloted a game-based learning approach for our economics students in a Diploma programme to trigger interest in the key concepts of the subject, and increase engagement and collaborative learning in class. More games covering other topics have been planned for development and rollout in 2017.

SIM GE hosted the London School of Economics and Political Science 2016 Institutions’ Symposium. One hundred delegates from 39 institutions across 16 countries learned new ways to engage and support students.

Strengthening Global Alumni Connections

SIM GE is a convergence of global minds and talents, with students and faculty coming from all over the world. Our students enjoy a head start in a global economy that is becoming increasingly collaborative.

Our over 140,000 alumni from across the globe is an important pool that adds to our diversity. We continued to grow the breadth and depth of alumni linkages. The newly-formed Surabaya Chapter joined our growing Overseas Alumni Chapters of Jakarta, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Yangon.

Locally, we re-launched the mentorship programme as a structured six-month mentoring initiative for alumni to contribute to student growth. To date, more than 200 students have been mentored by over 60 alumni.

Successful alumni business leaders such as Mr Eddie Sng, Executive Director at Agility International Logistics Pte Ltd and Ms Veronica Shim, Managing Director & Senior Advisor of Bank Julius Baer Singapore, joined SIM GE’s CEO, Dr Lee Kwok Cheong, in the annual SIM CEO dialogue session on the topic, Surviving Today’s Disruptive Economy Tomorrow.

CEO Dialogue

2016

Accolades

External recognition is a validation of our work and motivates us to provide results-driven learning solutions for our stakeholders.

SIM GE was voted by readers for the 8th consecutive year as the top three finalists for the Best Private Institute by AsiaOne People’s Choice Awards 2016.

SIM GE received its first National Integration Council Outstanding Community Integration Fund Project award. This award was given in recognition of its Breaking Boundaries orientation programme to help new international students settle in.

Dr Lee Kwok Cheong was conferred Doctorate of Science, Honoris Causa by UOL and received the award in London from Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Chancellor of UOL. The prestigious award recognised Dr Lee’s outstanding contributions to the development of IT and education in Singapore and the region.

Dr Phil Stephenson, Head of Assessment, Academic Division, SIM GE was honoured with the Education Leadership Award by the World Education Congress for his notable contributions to higher education.

SIM GE CEO Dr Lee Kwok Cheong being conferred Doctorate of Science, Honoris Causa by University of London

Senior management and teaching staff of the newly set up SIM International Academy

SIM GE Career and Internship Fair drawing record participation of 1,000 students and 70 companies