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Recognising the value of opening up global opportunities for students and in the education arena, ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and Department of Polytechnic Education,
a body established under the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaborative working arrangement to develop and enhance areas of knowledge and expertise in accountancy services.

Jennifer Lopez, Country Head, ACCA Malaysia said, 'In Malaysia where school leavers can start accounting foundation courses right after their SPM, STPM, UEC or A-Levels and where for graduates there are programmes tailored to complement their respective studies, the MoU is in line with ACCA's role in promoting the accounting profession as a career of choice.'

The MoU provides a suitable platform for ACCA to engage students and promote ACCA Qualifications to students enrolled in polytechnics' Diploma in Accountancy and Advanced Diploma in Accountancy programs. It would also enable ACCA to provide relevant and updated information specifically on its Qualifications and broadly on the accounting profession in Malaysia.

With Malaysia's aspiration to produce 60,000 professional accountants by 2020, Lopez believes that ACCA's present stature as one of the world's fastest-growing professional accounting bodies - 147,000 members and 424,000 students worldwide compared with 140,000 and 404,000 respectively this time last year - was due to the opportunity and flexibility available in its courses.

'ACCA would be an excellent avenue for these future accountants to raise their employment marketability. ACCA members are required to not only pass our exams but also undergo 36 months of practical experience within which incumbents are assessed based on their ability to meet 13 performance objectives. Out of these objectives nine would be testing them on soft skills such as communications with people and behavioural competency,' outlined Lopez.

'Such requirements ensure ACCA members are equipped with skills that make them fit for business - regardless of business sector or country borders - from inside the boardroom to the global market,' continued Lopez.

ACCA has an unrivalled global reach with 83 offices and centres worldwide and more than 8,500 Approved Employers worldwide who provide high standards of employee learning and development.

'Wherever our student or member are based, we have people in place to support them - a factor that has gained in significance as markets globalise and workforces become increasingly mobile,' asserts Lopez.

Lopez concludes, 'This MoU with the Department of Polytechnic Education further strengthen ACCA's global partnership arrangement and establishes a promising platform for Malaysia's future development in accountancy services.'

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