NTU Singapore and Institute for Human Resource Professionals to launch two new programmes to develop human resource talent

The MiniMasters in HR Thought Leadership aims to strengthen HR practitioners’ business, digital, and financial acumen, while the MiniMasters in Strategic HR Performance equips non-HR practitioners who are keen to take on a HR function in their organisations or to transit into a HR career with emerging HR concepts and ideas.

The two new programmes will be offered by the Nanyang Business School (NBS), and form part of NTU’s university-wide MiniMasters, a platform launched in 2020 to provide working adults and NTU alumni alternate and flexible pathways to upskill, boost their employability or pursue their intellectual enrichment through continuing education and training. 

The IHRP is set up by the tripartite partners: the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) to professionalise and strengthen the HR practice in Singapore.

As HR professionals play a key role in organisations, there is an urgency for a dynamic talent and work model that is capable of equipping them with future-ready skills quickly, especially against the backdrop of a rapidly changing digital landscape and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The memorandum of association for the programmes was signed by Professor Christina Soh, Dean of NBS, and Mr Mayank Parekh, CEO of IHRP, in a ceremony at IHRP today.

It was witnessed by NTU Deputy President and Provost, Professor Ling San and Ms Goh Swee Chen, Chairperson of IHRP, was the Guest-of-Honour for the event.

The first run of the programmes will commence in November this year, with class sizes of 35 to 40 participants. Taught by NBS faculty, the programmes will be delivered in a mixed format, combining online classes over Zoom and lectures in-person. IHRP consultants will be engaged for a capstone module for the MiniMasters™ in Strategic HR Performance.

This new collaboration leverages NBS’ academic quality, as well as IHRP’s expertise and industry partnerships to provide participants with relevant experience and insights that will help them build a future-ready workplace.

Professor Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost said: “The collaboration between NTU and IHRP will allow us to employ our innovative pedagogy, which melds rigorous academic theory with real-world business practice, with IHRP’s extensive network of resources to equip our course participants with the essential HR skills to progress in the workplace with confidence. Leveraging the expertise of both partners in designing the new MiniMasters also results in industry-relevant programmes that employers value in today’s ever-changing workplace. The new MiniMasters expands NTU’s range of unique interdisciplinary offerings, and facilitates the participants’ transitions into further education, including the University’s numerous Masters programmes.”

Mr Mayank Parekh, Chief Executive Officer of IHRP, said: “Traditional HR practices are rapidly evolving - impacted by technology, generational shifts and more recently by the public health challenge. Many organisations are seeking to build new capabilities in digital, business acumen and workforce reskilling. This partnership between NTU and IHRP brings a combination of academic and professional standards that will accelerate learning in emerging areas coupled with career growth and opportunities for both HR and non-HR practitioners alike. University-industry collaboration in HR will help bring about innovative programmes and solutions that equip our professionals to be effective enablers of workforce transformation.”

The Minimasters in HR Thought Leadership caters to current HR practitioners who are keen to strengthen their business, digital and financial acumen to better contribute to their organisational effectiveness at the leadership level.

For this programme, a sequence of five graduate courses will give participants a broad exposure to strategic management, finance fundamentals, Business ethics, and newer topics such as Analytics Technology in Business and Digital Marketing. 

Meanwhile, the Minimasters in Strategic HR Performance aims to offer non-HR practitioners who are keen to equip themselves with emerging concepts and ideas so that they are not only positioned to help their organisations perform HR practices better but also, more importantly lead their teams to deliver such functions more effectively. 

Participants will complete five graduate courses to gain a broad exposure to strategic HR in the digital age, strategic rewards, talent sourcing, acquisition and development. Following this, they will then be able to put their new knowledge and skills to the test by carrying out a capstone project to perform a HR diagnosis of a company. 

Besides enhancing the competencies of new and seasoned HR professsionals, the programmes will create new developmental and professional pathways for them. In addition to improving their career prospects, participants would also have an option to transfer their earned course credits if they enrol into other MSc or NBS programmes in the future.

Participants who complete the MiniMasters in HR Thought Leadership will attain the NBS MiniMasters Certificate from NTU and be qualified to apply for the IHRP Senior Professional certification. 

More than 450 participants have benefited from the four MiniMasters offered by NBS in the areas of General Management, Business Finance, Marketing Management and Business Analytics, since August 2020.