Alliance Bank, Sunway University Team Up to Upskill SMEs

SMEs will gain new skills and knowledge to grow their business, and undergraduates opportunities to work in real-life business situations.

Kuala Lumpur, 11 March 2021 – Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (“Alliance Bank” or the “Bank”) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with Sunway University Sdn. Bhd. (“Sunway University”) to provide courses to help upskill SMEs’ workforce through Sunway iLabs.

The program, called the 2021 SME Jumpstart Series, is developed by Sunway University and open to all businesses. Registration is now open for the first course under the series, which will begin in April 2021 and be conducted via a virtual classroom.

Alliance Bank and Sunway iLabs are currently planning for more SME courses to be announced in the upcoming months. Alliance Bank’s business banking customers or BizSmart^® Solution Portal partners will enjoy a special rate when they enroll themselves or their employees in any of the programs.

Ms. Fozia Amanulla, Group Chief Business Development Officer of Alliance Bank, explained, “It is vital for businesses to constantly adapt and transform to remain competitive in this challenging environment. Beyond financial assistance, we also understand that it is important to help provide the right tools for our SME clients to succeed.”

“Our collaboration with Sunway University is the next step we are taking to provide our SME clients with a platform to upskill themselves. It aligns with our BizSmart^® Solution value proposition of helping SMEs transform their business, optimize resources and operations, as well as upskill and retain employees. We believe these courses will provide the right knowledge and insights for our SME clients to bring their business to the next level,” said Ms. Fozia.

Dr. Elizabeth Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Sunway Education Group expressed her delight in Sunway University’s collaboration with Alliance Bank. “We all need to be innovative, especially post-pandemic, where businesses will not only have to learn to adapt but to transform. This is to ensure their businesses stay relevant and be ready for the uncertain times ahead. For our students, the collaboration will provide them with a wider range of opportunities where they can pitch business ideas and solutions which may help solve some of the more crucial problems faced by SMEs.”

“One of the main purposes of academia is to support national economic development and I am thrilled that we can work with Alliance Bank to help businesses grow through this collaboration,” said Professor Graeme Wilkinson, Vice-Chancellor of Sunway University.

At the same time, Sunway University students will have an opportunity to co-create solutions for SMEs facing business challenges and require business solutions through Solutions Lab by Sunway iLabs. The solutions offered comprise digital marketing, graphic design, data analytics, website & mobile application, and software development.

Additionally, to help train future leaders, students and graduates from Sunway University are allowed to apply for an internship or graduate placement program at Alliance Bank or any BizSmart^® Solution’s business partners.

Students and graduates from Sunway University will also receive preferential banking benefits such as attractive savings rates, lower credit card requirements, and lifestyle benefits, including pre-booking on the latest mobile phone launches, travel airfare discounts, e-commerce promo codes, and more.

Ms. Fozia added that since the start of the Movement Control Order in March last year, the Bank had co-organized over 50 webinars with business partners and industry experts on the BizSmart^® Solution portal to provide business insights to help SMEs sustain and thrive during these difficult times.