ICAEW, MMU FOR MALAYSIA’S PROSPERITY THROUGH GRADUATES

ICAEW, a world leader of the accountancy and finance profession, has stressed the importance of accounting graduates to Malaysia’s economic prosperity as they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Multimedia University (MMU) last Friday, 12 June. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mark Protherough, ICAEW Executive Director, said that highly-qualified accountancy professionals would be vital to Malaysia’s Vision 2020.

The MoU was signed between Mark Protherough, Executive Director, Learning and Professional Development, ICAEW and Prof. Dato’ Dr. Muhamad Rasat Muhamad, President of Multimedia University. The agreement offers MMU’s Bachelor of Accounting (Honours) degree students a chance to lay the foundation towards professional certification during their undergraduate education.

Mark Protherough said, “Considering Malaysia’s Vision 2020 and the steady flow of investments through the Economic Transformation Programme, there will be a real need for Chartered Accountants to keep the economy thriving. Whether advising businesses, the public sector, or offering guidance on trading overseas and attracting investment, a successful economy has to be built on strong foundations. That means businesses, markets and investors can have confidence. By delivering the highest professional, technical and ethical standards, ICAEW chartered accountants can give that confidence.”

The agreement means students will be able to have their studies recognised as contributing to their professional certification, making it a more streamlined process to become fully qualified. MMU’s current course structure has been mapped to seven relevant ACA modules under ICAEW: Accounting, Assurance, Business and Finance, Law, Management Information, Principles of Taxation and Business Strategy. The MoU is also designed to enable exceptional students the opportunity to take on the five additional modules that progresses them to the professional level under the ACA programme during their study at the university. This leaves students to only complete their advanced level after their 4-year degree programme.

[caption id="attachment_2110" align="aligncenter" width="486"] COLLABORATION SIGNED: Mark Protherough, Executive Director, Learning and Professional Development, ICAEW and Prof. Dato’ Dr. Muhammad Rasat Muhammad, President of Multimedia University (middle) exchanging documents which marks the collaboration between ICAEW and Multimedia University (MMU). The event was also graced in the presence of Wei Yuen Loh, Head of Malaysia, ICAEW (far right) and Professor Dr. Murali Raman, Dean of Faculty of Management (FOM) (far left).[/caption]  

“With over 70 Authorised Training Employers (ATEs) in Malaysia, we are working to support the greater demand for highly-qualified finance professionals that will underpin Malaysia’s economic ambitions. This is just the first stage for many of these young people, but by increasing the number of training agreements, internships and job placements with prestigious corporations on offer we hope to support both the accountancy and finance profession and the economy. This partnership also allows our ATEs access to bright, hardworking students. By working in partnership with organisations like MMU we are confident that we can help deliver sustainable economic prosperity for Malaysia.”

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Muhamad Rasat Muhamad, President of Multimedia University said, “We are pleased with the collaboration as this increases recognition for our graduates when they complete their ACA training with ICAEW’s authorised training employers (ATEs). This also provides them an edge on accounting profession and what is required in the workforce increasing employability in prestigious corporations”.

“MMU considers this MoU very important. After all, although we are a private university, our establishment was decreed by the Malaysian government itself in order to liberalise the nation’s tertiary education system so that a knowledge-based economy could develop in Malaysia. In other words, this MoU is allowing MMU to fulfill its role perfectly, and this will drive us up to greater heights.”

[caption id="attachment_2111" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Mark Protherough, Executive Director, Learning and Professional Development, ICAEW addressing his keynote speech during the signing ceremony.[/caption]  

The MoU, which also sees MMU’s inclusion as one of ICAEW’s Partners in Learning (PiL), will create further offerings for MMU’s academicians and students in terms of syllabus development, knowledge and expertise sharing, access to learning materials, graduate recruitment activities and opportunities for lecturers from MMU to be part of ICAEW’s conferences and events.

 

About ICAEW

1.     ICAEW is a world leading professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports over 144,000 chartered accountants worldwide. We provide qualifications and professional development, share our knowledge, insight and technical expertise, and protect the quality and integrity of the accountancy and finance profession.

As leaders in accountancy, finance and business our members have the knowledge, skills and commitment to maintain the highest professional standards and integrity. Together we contribute to the success of individuals, organisations, communities and economies around the world.

Because of us, people can do business with confidence.

2.     ICAEW is a founder member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide and the Global Accounting Alliance.

About MMU

Multimedia University (MMU) was established in July 1996. It is a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia’s broadband champion and leading integrated information and communications group.

Originally known as Universiti Telekom and located in Melaka, the university’s current name took hold in March 1997, when Telekom Malaysia was given the enormous task of establishing a new campus in Cyberjaya that would supply the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) with superior quality knowledge workers. In 2014, MMU completed its third campus MMU Nusajaya in EduCity Iskandar, Nusajaya, Johor. The university now hosts 19,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, more than 1,700 of whom are expatriates from about 70 countries.

MMU developed the pioneer model for the successful establishment of a private university in the nation, paving the way for the growth of the national private tertiary education sector. The university is the premier university for ICT and Creative Multimedia sectors, as well as for their related industries in Malaysia. This is fully in line with the government’s aspiration of developing the knowledge economy of the country.

The key to MMU’s success is that it offers innovative undergraduate and postgraduate programmes not only to local bright young brains but also to aspiring students from all over the world. The university believes that a multicultural and multinational campus will enrich the learning experience, regardless of where a student comes from. Students studying at the university will have the opportunity to meet people from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds and develop an appreciation for diversity.

Currently, MMU is one of Malaysia’s leading universities. Topuniversities.com has ranked it as one of the World’s Top 200 Universities in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and also one of the world’s Top 250 Universities in Computer Science and Information Systems. It has also been voted as one of Asia’s Best Private Education Institutes by the World Consulting & Research Corporation (WCRC).

To learn more about MMU, please visit www.mmu.edu.my.