PGA International Golf Institute (PGA IGI), the PGA’s external education arm, will further extend its domestic reach and international reputation with the opening of a new campus in partnership with the International College of Management – Sydney.

The PGA IGI is ‘changing the game from the inside out’ stated Gavin Kirkman the General Manager of Member Services at the PGA of Australia, referring to the caliber of IGI graduates, a number of which are also PGA Professionals,  working throughout the industry and around the golfing world.

"That trend is set to continue as our external education arm grows with the announcement of its new partnership and new campus in Sydney NSW. Much hard work has been done through the PGA’s education programs so far but, we are looking to the future and the goal is to train the next generation for the challenges that lie ahead", says Kirkman.

The location of the new campus via the partnership opens up the southern states to potential students and affords them more options and sites to choose from. "We now provide a Gold Coast and Sydney campus to compliment our education pathway into higher education and potentially the PGA", says Dominic O’Brien, Dean & Executive Officer of the PGA IGI.

Based in Manly, Sydney, The International College of Management -Sydney (ICMS) was established in 1996 as a specialized College of Higher education.

In recent years, ICMS has become a global leader in management education, using applied learning to prepare graduates to be leaders in their industries. ICMS offers diplomas as well as associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees in the areas of hospitality management, event management, international tourism, sport management and property services management.

"The location of the new campus in Sydney corresponds with the golf industry’s changing needs. ICMS’s ability to co-deliver and provide pathway options into various degrees whilst utilising their campus was a partnership that fits very well," says Brian Thorburn, the CEO of the Australian PGA.

"This new campus displays how serious we are about the education platforms available and how golf and education provides a fantastic starting point to a career in this great game."

Thorburn added that, "The alumni list on the PGA IGI’s website displays a wide group of talented people, some of which are PGA Professionals, that work within very different sectors of the industry and I think that that is testament to the education and opportunities provided within these qualifications. I very much look forward to seeing that list grow with new graduates from the ICMS campus."

The ICMS Chairperson Anne Whitelock Courtney-Oconnor who was instrumental in the link between the two education providers said, "It just made sense to partner with the PGA IGI. Our strengths provide great synergies and new opportunities. We are both relatively small providers who can focus on student outcomes and learning, I believe that it is a strength, we provide a personalised touch to our delivery that ensures our students have the skills knowledge, and most importantly the confidence to succeed after they graduate."

The model of delivery will remain the same with the PGA IGI providing its world class Diploma of Golf Management across the first year and via the articulation agreement ICMS will deliver it’s suite of degree options from its Manly campus.

The first intake is likely to commence in May 2014.

Find out more about PGA IGI