TOP, PwC alliance focuses on student career development, training and innovative campus
As one of the leading business and legal education institutes in New South Wales, TOP’s alliance with PwC begins with providing great education and services to Chinese students
Australia’s globally esteemed quality of education continues to attract international students, particularly from China where more than 136,000 students chose to study in Australia in 2015 alone. This number is expected to rise further in coming years, and – thanks to the alliance formed between TOP Education Institute and PwC – students have more reasons to be excited.
“The opportunities brought by our alliance with PwC begin with providing great education and services to Chinese students, and go as far as bringing countries together economically and socially,” says TOP principal Dr Minshen Zhu.
One of the leading business and legal education institutes in New South Wales, TOP is the first college in Australia included on the Chinese government’s approved list of tertiary institutions. It is also the only non-university institute that offers undergraduate law degrees accredited in Australia.
Ranked as the 59th of the world’s top 500 brands last year, PwC leverages a global network of firms specialising in quality assurance, advisory and tax services across 157 countries.
“For the first time globally, PwC directly invested into the higher education sector,” Zhu says. “With a 15 per cent stake in TOP, it aims to foster a long-term strategic alliance focusing on three main aspects: student career development programme, executive and corporate training, and smart-campus innovation.”
The student career development programme turns the theory in the classroom into real-life working examples, allowing candidates to enjoy a safe environment to practise what they have learned. Executive and corporate training initiatives, meanwhile, are aligned with China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”. Companies that have benefited from these training sessions include Bank of China, Greenland, Bank of Communications, China Eastern Airlines and China Railway High-speed.
Under Smart-Campus Innovation, PwC helps provide digitised and state-of-the-art equipment for teaching and learning that complement traditional classroom teaching.
Announced in June last year, the alliance has already received encouraging feedback. Students who have joined the programme testify that it gave them a chance to improve their communication and thinking skills, while undergoing real-life business scenarios.
Addressing graduates at TOP’s recent graduation ceremony, PwC Australia chief operating officer Sean Gregory said that the firm takes pride in working with TOP, and looks forward to hiring graduates who enjoy working with equally driven individuals with diverse backgrounds, skills and perspectives.
“This is a winning alliance that benefits our students and graduates most of all,” Zhu says. “We root for their success, which ultimately testifies ours.”
