May 22, 2013 -Wednesday

Monday 15/10/2012

Signatories (2nd from left) Alex Malley, CEO of CPA Australia and President of MMU Professor Dato' Dr. Muhamad Rasat Muhamad, President, Multimedia University. Witnessed by (far left) John Cahill, President of CPA Australia and Associate Professor Dr.Mazlina Mat Zain, Dean, Faculty of Management MMU

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- CPA Australia and Multimedia University (MMU) have entered into a cooperation agreement to offer an accelerated entry into the CPA Program for Masters of Accounting and Bachelor of Accounting students in Multimedia University.

This is the first agreement of its kind outside Australia and the second in CPA Australia’s history with a University.

Alex Malley, Chief Executive Officer of CPA Australia said, ”As accountants increasingly act as strategic advisers for businesses, we need more well trained, highly competent and highly ethical professional accountants in the world. Building local capacity is imperative to increase the percentage of skilled workforce in business services here.”

“The professional segments in the degree will give the University’s accounting students a significant advantage over other graduates as they will be aligned with employer needs. We see this as an opportunity for CPA Australia to make a positive contribution to the training of the next generation of professional accountants,” he added.

“MMU is a very important partner and supporter of CPA Australia and we undertake a number of activities with MMU, including organising career fairs and student conferences, sponsoring book prize awards as well as the setting up of a CPA Australia student charter in both of MMU’s campuses in Cyberjaya and Melaka," said Alex Malley.

With a sizeable number of MMU alumni being members of CPA Australia, it was a natural development to take the relationship to the next level.

Negotiations on the co-operation began in 2011 and after several rounds of discussion; an agreement was reached to offer the CPA Program within the Master of Accountancy degree. Additionally, Bachelor students who meet certain requirements will be entitled to commence their CPA Program studies earlier giving them a head start to professional certification.

CPA Australia has an established presence in Malaysia working closely with institutions of higher learning and employers to align its members to market demands.

Prof.Dato’ Dr.Muhamad Rasat Muhamad, President of MMU expressed his contentment over the cooperation with CPA Australia as this is another milestone for MMU. He said “Aligned with the government’s mission to meet the demand of professional accountants in year 2020, MMU’s partnership with CPA Australia will provide our students appropriate accelerated pathway to acquire professional qualifications”.

“Our Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) is well recognised and accepted by the market. Indeed, this collaboration especially with Professional bodies like CPA Australia will further enhance the quality of our accounting graduates for both Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes,” said Prof. Rasat.

“MMU is rapidly establishing itself as Malaysia’s leading research and teaching university providing high quality undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Collaborative efforts with leading international bodies like CPA and many other organizations have strengthened its reputation as an international academic institution with clear strength in teaching and research,” Prof. Rasat added.

About CPA Australia

CPA Australia is one of the largest and most recognized and respected professional accounting bodies in the world, with more than 139,000 members in 114 countries. More than 24,000 of CPA Australia’s 139,000 members hold senior leadership roles, including more than 12,000 members at CEO or CFO level �“ or in business owner roles. CPA Australia has 9,000 members in Malaysia across various industries.

Our vision is to position CPA Australia as the global professional accountancy designation for strategic business leaders.

Through the quality and nature of the services we provide, and our focus on strategy, leadership and international business, CPA Australia assists existing and future members to realise their potential, achieve their goals, and benefit from the support of one of the largest finance and business networks in the world.

For further information about CPA Australia, visit cpaaustralia.com.au

About Multimedia University

Multimedia University (MMU) is Malaysia’s first private university. This tertiary education institution was set up through Universiti Telekom SdnBhd (UTSB), a wholly owned subsidiary of TM. MMU fulfills the noblest of corporate social responsibilities �“ taking up the challenge of educating the next generation the nation’s leaders and knowledge workers. As the first private university in Malaysia, MMU developed the pioneer model for the successful establishment of private universities in the nation, paving the way for the growth of the private tertiary education sector. As the university at the heart of the MSC, MMU also serves as a catalyst for the development of the high tech ICT industry of the nation, parallel to the Silicon Valley-Stanford model in the United States.

Growing to over 20,000 students in 16 years, MMU has achieved much in a relatively short period of time. The university runs in two campuses, its original campus in the historical city of Melaka, and the campus in Cyberjaya that was launched by the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed. Prior to its current convocation, it has produced 30,523 graduates, and a recent survey demonstrates that 91% of these secure employment within 6 months of the completion of studies. It has also grown an outstanding pool of international students numbering at 4,200 from 77 countries.

MMU has established itself as a major player in research and development, and maintains excellent ties with the industry through collaborations and research partnerships. The university currently hosts 13 Research Centres. These centres focus on the niche areas of computing, informatics, nanotechnology, microsystems, biometrics, virtual reality, microwave and telecommunications, engineering, photonics, advanced robotics and business. Currently, in a survey by www.topuniversities.com, MMU is the 194th ranked university in all of Asia. MMU is also recognized by the Malaysian government, through its 2009 SETARA rating, as an Excellent Tier-5 university; to date, no other Malaysian university occupies a higher tier.

To learn more about Multimedia University, visit http://www.mmu.edu.my/

SOURCE: CPA Australia

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Name : Nirmala Ramoo
Senior Manager, Events & Communications
Tel : 603 2267 3350
Mobile: 012 2790254
Email : Nirmala.ramoo@cpaaustralia.com.au

Media Enquiries Multimedia University:
Name : Abdul Lazi bin Nordin
Head, Corporate Communications
Tel : 60383125755
Mobile : 013-6306030
E-mail :lazi@mmu.edu.my

--BERNAMA