Griffith University strengthens ties with IML through new scholarship fund

The Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand has recently cemented its relationship with the Griffith University Business School by funding the Eka Suputra IML Scholarship to further boost student employability. 

The fund amounted to AU$15,000 which was pledged by the Institute of Managers and Leaders Chief Executive David Pich. 

Through this, and many other collaborative efforts between the institute and the university, Pich believes this partnership provides students with the relevant skills to give them an edge in the evolving employment market. 

The Eka Suputra IML Scholarship was named in memory of the Institute of Managers and Leaders staff member Eka Suputra who unfortunately passed away in late 2019. 

In his honour, the IML has agreed to set up a scholarship with Griffith University to enable a female student to achieve her tertiary education goals. The institute will also provide an internship opportunity for the scholarship recipient. 

This is the latest collaborative effort between the institute and Griffith university. In fact, Griffith was the first-ever university in Australia to formally partner with the Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand. 

“Griffith was the first university in Australia to formally partner with us in our Pathways program; Griffith was the first university to recognise that partnership with a professional body around leadership could yield good results. We now have three Pathway partnerships with Griffith, we’re now in a multi partnership relationship,” said  Pich. 

He further elaborated that the skills offered by the institute complement Griffith Business School’s commitment to giving students transferable skills to make them more agile and ready for the future of business. 

“You provide your students with knowledge, we provide your students with practical skills. You put that combination of knowledge and practice together, and you end up with an incredibly powerful proposition for future managers and leaders who are the students that study at Griffith,” added Pich. 

“That’s why I think the partnership with Griffith is so critical. Griffith has partnered with us on three courses; that is as progressive and forward-thinking as it gets.”

The Institute of Managers and Leaders awards and assesses business managers and leaders with the Chartered Manager accreditation. A specially awarded and internationally-recognised professional designation that allows managers to boost their leadership skills amidst the competitive global market. 

Griffith University as the institute’s pathway partner provides education and upskilling opportunities through its flexible MBA programme for aspiring business managers to achieve the Chartered Manager accreditation.

Pich continued by saying the institution now aims to help people who might have the drive but not the means to attend university. He elaborated that it was very important to support degrees that are preparing students for what the business world will look like in the future. 

“Students looking to study will be entering a workforce that will look very different in three or four years’ time than it looks today. So I think anything that the Institute can do to support that is a good thing,” he said. 

The Eka Suputra IML Scholarship is open to eligible female students currently enrolled in Griffith University with a maximum value of AU$5,000 per annum for a maximum of three years. 

Interested students can apply for the scholarship by February 28, 2020.