JCU's Andrew Chew talks about James Cook Academy and its acquisition of Eagle Infotech
Eagle Infotech boasts short courses and training programmes in areas such as Industry 4.0 to give you an edge in the workplace
While the global economy has continued to face great uncertainty and change due to the ongoing pandemic and its variants, one positive disruption cannot be overlooked: it has also created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to innovate and strengthen our capabilities.
The Skills Demand for the Future Economy Report, released last December, cited the Digital Economy, the Green Economy and the Care Economy as three key areas of accelerated growth that have presented Singapore with new opportunities. For digitalisation specifically, the pandemic showed that automation and digitalisation are vital for business continuity and transformation, respectively. Environmental degradation and long-term demographic challenges are also pressing issues.
With these trends in mind, the Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU) has made bold strides to become a strong player in the adult education market. Towards the end of last year, it launched James Cook Academy and the academy acquired IT and soft skills training provider Eagle Infotech.
JCU's Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Chew, who was responsible for setting up the academy and spearheading its acquisition of Eagle Infotech, has been named Chief Executive Officer of James Cook Academy and Chairman of Eagle Infotech, in addition to his current responsibilities. Mr Chew discusses the new outfit and its goals.
Q: What is James Cook Academy about?
A: In a nutshell, James Cook Academy is designed to support access to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for working adults. The academy acquired Eagle Infotech to support its mission of providing CPD for Singapore's workforce.
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Q: Why did you set up the academy and make the acquisition?
A: JCU has big plans for its entry into CPD and is committed to lifelong learning.
We established James Cook Academy to contribute to Singapore's next phase of development in the post-pandemic world. We want to help to upskill the local workforce through short courses and training programmes in Industry 4.0 (Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Data Analytics and Digital Marketing, for example). Eagle Infotech is the perfect fit to deliver the aforementioned short courses. These areas will benefit the workforce and community, and prepare learners for the challenges of the future.
Q: Can you tell us more about Eagle Infotech and how it has been incorporated into JCU's Singapore family?
A: Eagle Infotech is the first step towards JCU realising its CPD ambition.
Founded in 1988, Eagle Infotech is a Registered Training Provider (RTP) accredited by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). It offers a wide range of short courses in information technology, digital marketing, communication, and more, and has helped to equip over 170,000 learners from a variety of industries for the rapidly-evolving workplace.
Managing Director Liana Tang and her Business Manager Joanna Tang have been appointed Eagle Infotech's Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer respectively following its acquisition. The Eagle Infotech team is thrilled to join the broader JCU family and looks forward to working together to take the business to the next level.
Q: What are your plans for James Cook Academy?
A: The future is certainly exciting for Eagle Infotech with James Cook Academy's support of further diversifying its course offerings and delivery methods as it strives to provide flexible and personalised training.
The academy will also collaborate with industry partners and leverage EdTech to grow the CPD business in Singapore and the region.
Whether it is through a part-time degree programme at JCU or a short course with Eagle Infotech, our goal is to enable lifelong learning to help working adults, who want to upskill or reskill to achieve their career goals, and stay relevant and employable in today's ever-changing workplace.
Visit https://www.jcu.edu.sg/jca for more information.
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