Accountancy students can now fast-track their journey to become certified accountants with Quest International University(QIU), after the Ipoh-based university signed an exciting industry-academia tie-up with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) today.
QIU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ACCA to join the latter’s INternary programme, which allows accounting students to qualify as an ACCA member within only two years of graduation.
QIU is the first private university in Malaysia’s northern region to offer students the ACCA INternary programme.
Under the programme, students will study on campus for three years and undertake one year of industry internship while also pursuing the ACCA Qualification. Selection will begin after Year Two and will require a CGPA of no less than 3.5 and a level of English proficiency.
Year Three will comprise an express programme with embedded ACCA papers while Year Four will combine internship with more papers. The work experience they gain during the internship will be vital when the students sit for the ACCA professional papers.
The MoU was signed by Mr Nicholas Goh, Chief Executive Officer of QIU’s holding company Global Integrated Training Associates (GITA) and ACCA Malaysia Country Head Mr Edward Ling.On hand to witness the signing were QIU Vice-Chancellor Professor Zita Mohd Fahmi and ACCA Malaysia Head of Learning Mr Andrew Lim.
Goh said this collaboration was in line with the University’s progressive focus on experiential and competency-based learning.
“The days of universities being degree mills are long gone. Employers want competent, creative graduates who can integrate quickly and seamlessly with their operations,” he said.
“QIU has created a tradition of incorporating experiential learning into our programmes because we believe that this is the best way to ensure learning. The INternary programme is an exceptional addition to what we already have, and we are excited to offer this to our students.”
Edward Ling, Country Head of ACCA Malaysia said: “In support of the Ministry of Higher Education’s effort to strengthen work-based flexible learning, the ACCA INternary programme is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between ACCA, learning partners and employers which provides accountancy undergraduates with an accelerated pathway to attain a professional qualification while acquiring the industrial experience required to qualify as an ACCA member.”
He added: “World-class research into the future of the profession by ACCA found the younger generation places a high premium on experiential learning. On-the-job learning and other personalised training interventions such as mentoring and coaching are found to be the most effective form of developing our country’s future generation of accounting professionals”.
Currently, QIU’s Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) programme is an ACCA Accredited programme and has secured nine exemptions from examination papers at the ‘Fundamentals’ level of the ACCA Qualification.
Graduates of the QIU Bachelor of Accountancy (Hons) programme will be entitled to exemptions from the ‘Knowledge’ papers of the ACCA Fundamentals level, namely, Accountant in Business, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting.
They will also be entitled to exemptions from six ACCA Fundamentals level ‘Skills’ papers which are Financial Management, Corporate and Business Law, Performance Management, Taxation, Financial Reporting and Audit and Assurance.
