The advanced licensing program will target China’s executive level audience with courses on marketing, overseas business development, fashion design and more.

ASIA–The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association and the Tsinghua Institute of Culture and Creativity, Brand Licensing Research Center and the School of Continuing Education of Tsinghua University in Beijing have joined forces to debut the International Brand Licensing Advanced Program.

The International Brand Licensing Advanced Program will begin in late 2017 and run for 10 months, with courses targeted toward China’s executive level audience. The courses will also be held on the weekends for busy professionals.

“Brand licensing is a tremendous market in Asia, but teaching and training on the subject is scarce,” says Tani Wong, managing director, LIMA China. “This has driven the demand for professionals with a specific interest in and high level of licensing knowledge–and called for a comprehensive and systematic framework of licensing courses to fill that need.”

The program will also cover the entirety of brand licensing–from marketing and overseas business development to fashion design and creative management. Participants will also receive mentorship from a host of licensing industry executives, including LIMA President Charles Riotto, Licensing Hall of Famer and former LIMA Board Chairman Danny Simon (The Licensing Group) and former Board Member Marilu Corpus (Click! Licensing Asia).

“LIMA’s collaboration with Tsinghua University to bring these high-level courses to life has been months in the making, and we are thoroughly looking forward to the beginning of this program,” says Riotto. “Brand licensing has truly become a part of the Chinese culture, and the need for industry expertise is growing rapidly. We were happy to provide LIMA’s educational resources in meeting this call.”