Scotland Exports its Retail Expertise (1/22/2008)

A Scottish University is to export its world renowned retail expertise to Singapore under a drive by the Singaporean government to promote specialist collaborations.

The University of Stirling and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) are among the first to take part in the national initiative, entitled the Foreign Specialised Institute, which encourages polytechnics to focus on niche areas by pairing up with overseas institutions.

Under the new agreement, students with a relevant Polytechnic Diploma will be able to enter directly into year three of the University's BA (Hons) Retail Marketing - thereby serving a niche market for well-trained retail professionals (students can study in Singapore or Stirling). This will help meet the future manpower needs of the retail sector in Singapore where one in five retail managers will retire in the next five to ten years and sends out a strong signal to young people that retail is a professional career.

Director of the University's Institute for Retail Studies, Professor Paul Freathy said: "Labour statistics have shown that close to 80 percent of the retail workforce in Singapore have secondary or below education. There are currently no comprehensive and industry-oriented tertiary education programmes in retail in Singapore - so this is a significant step forward for the retail sector. This collaboration will not only help raise the profile of retail as a career choice, but will also help professionalise the sector. We expect to see the retail leaders of tomorrow passing through this programme."

The University's Institute for Retail Studies (IRS) was established in 1983 to act as a focus for the academic and applied study of the retail industry.

Principal & Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christine Hallett added: "The University of Stirling is at the forefront of research and learning that shapes the world at a local, national and international level. Working with academic, commercial, public, private and voluntary sector partners we are one of the UK's leading research universities in the fields of health and well-being, the environment, culture and society, enterprise and the economy, and sport. The University was selected for this partnership due to it status as a world leader in retail education. The Institute for Retail Studies (IRS) has a long association with Singapore dating back to 1989, including close links with the Singapore Retailers Association and The Retail Academy of Singapore. IRS is now one of Europe's largest University based retail institutes and has developed a reputation for offering a range of high quality education and training programmes to the retail sector as well as undertaking research of an international standard."

Principal & CEO of NYP, Mr Chan Lee Mun said: "We are pleased to collaborate with the University of Stirling to develop and build new capabilities for the retail industry. NYP has been providing training in retail since 1995. In 2006, NYP established the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS) together with the Workforce Development Agency of Singapore. SIRS has since been a lead provider of manpower training for the retail industry. With its track record and reputation in retail training, NYP is well-positioned to prepare the next generation of retail professionals to support Singapore's goal to be a global retail destination."

The unique collaboration has been praised by the Scottish Government. Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop said: "This collaboration between Stirling and Singapore clearly highlights the high regard in which Scottish education is held around the world. We're committed - through our recently published Skills Strategy - to helping people in Scotland develop the skills they need to ensure our nation can look forward to a prosperous economic future. This innovative partnership will allow Singaporeans to develop their skills and expertise while showcasing Scotland's educational expertise on the international stage."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the University of Stirling

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