DBS Foundation, Singapore Management Varsity in JV to Make Students Industry-Ready

SINGAPORE, 27 September 2023 – DBS Foundation (DBSF) and Singapore Management University
(SMU) have embarked on a joint effort to empower students with the skills to be industry-ready and thrive in a sustainability-focused world, and to cultivate a new breed of thinkers, innovators, and leaders to drive change. Centred on bridging academia and the real-world, the partnership will transport students beyond classroom learning to gain invaluable real-world perspectives and exposure, and develop practical skills.

Harnessing the bank’s experience in advancing the sustainability agenda, DBSF will work with SMU SOSS to provide students with exposure to real-life problem statements, expert speakers, as well as internship and learning opportunities. This will enable students to gain problem solving skills and consider real world trade-offs in the journey towards sustainable development for societies to thrive.

Karen Ngui, group head of strategic marketing and communications, DBS and board member of DBS foundation, said: “Sustainability is an increasingly pressing and urgent issue affecting businesses, economies and societies worldwide today, and there’s a dire need for new solutions. This presents both a challenge and opportunity for the next generation, and we are excited to be partnering SMU to empower students with the skillsets and knowledge to take this on. By bridging academia and real-world exposure, we hope to help cultivate a new breed of innovative thinkers and solutionists who can connect the dots to drive change and shape a more sustainable future.”

Ijlal Naqvi, associate professor of sociology, associate dean (teaching and curriculum), SMU school of social sciences, said: “Our partnership with DBSF signifies our joint commitment to engaging with societal and sustainability issues at the heart of a university education. Our joint endeavours will bring more real-world perspectives into the SMU social science curriculum and empower our graduates to pursue purposeful and meaningful careers.”

In 2019, the two establishments came together to launch the DBS-SMU Sustainability Initiative, which provides support to academics, businesses and students who are passionate about tackling real world sustainability challenges. The wide-ranging initiative, which was the first-of-its-kind in Southeast Asia, focused on promoting and growing sustainability, and included the introduction of Singapore’s first sustainability major, as well as funding for sustainability research, scholarships, fellowships, and community engagement. It also included the launch of the Businesses for Impact Internship, which enables students to experience interning at innovative local social enterprises at the forefront of tackling key environmental and social issues. To date, some 90 of such internships have been placed.

DBSF also supported SMU’s 10th LKY Global Business Plan Competition in 2021 by sponsoring the DBS Foundation Social Impact Prize. This sought to identify and serve as a launchpad for young entrepreneurs who innovated sustainable business solutions to address social and environmental challenges.

Beyond SMU, DBSF also continues to work with other like-minded partners to empower and
support the next generation of impact makers. For instance, it recently launched the second edition of the Hungry for Change Challenge in partnership with the National Environment Agency. The Challenge invites students and recent alumni from Institutes of Higher Learning to innovate solutions to address Singapore’s food and packaging waste issues and will award the five best teams with funding and support to pilot their solutions.

With the introduction of these wide ranging aspects of external exposure to university students, both the SMU and DBSF together envision the creation of more industry-ready graduates who will be better equipped to handle the real-life challenges of business right from the start of their working careers.