Contributing to a learning nation

SIM began by offering a variety of short courses catering to all levels of management (from managers to executives) to upgrade their competencies. SIM had collaborated closely with the then University of Singapore, Nanyang University and Singapore Polytechnic to plan and deliver them.

Subjects included accounting, sales and supervisory skills. Other industry-specific courses and workshops in the early years covered themes on double taxation, the promotion of exports, and tourism. The hallmark course was the residential Advanced Management Programme for chief executives and other corporate honchos, conducted by professors from Harvard Business School.

Through a grant of $300,000 from the Ford Foundation, SIM played host to post-graduate scholars from the Stanford and Harvard Business Schools. The scholars conducted short courses in finance and marketing, and taught in the Junior Management Programme, the first SIM two-year evening management course that preceded the Diploma in Management Studies.