KUCHING, June 8 (Bernama) -- Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Malaysia have signed a memorandum of agreement to pave the way for the university’s undergraduates to complete the ACCA professional qualification before they graduate through the ACCA Accelerate Program.
 
Swinburne Sarawak students majoring in the Bachelor of Business (Accounting) or Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Finance) can now undertake papers from ACCA, the international professional accountancy body, in the second year of their degree studies under the ACCA Accelerate Program.
 
In the past, students from both programs were required to first complete their degree before they could pursue the ACCA qualification with maximum exemptions granted by ACCA.
 
Under the current arrangement, eligible students can sit for the last five ACCA Professional Level papers with a maximum exemption of nine papers in the Fundamental Level whilst studying for their degree program.
 
This will give students a head start to becoming qualified professional accountants. Through this pathway, they can complete their degree and professional accounting qualification concurrently within three years.
 
Signing the MOA for Swinburne Sarawak was its Deputy Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor Janet Gregory, while ACCA Malaysia was represented by its Country Head, Mr. Jeyasothy Palakrishnar.
 
Guest of honour En. Mersal bin Abang Rosli, the Deputy Director Corporate Services and Finance of Yayasan Sarawak, witnessed the exchange of the MOA between Professor Gregory and Mr. Jeyasothy.
 
“We are certainly pleased that both our accounting degrees are recognised by the ACCA. It is a reflection of the high quality of education we provide,” said Professor Gregory.

“Undoubtedly, acquiring a qualification such as the ACCA will give our graduates a competitive advantage in their career.
 
“I therefore encourage students who are eligible to consider making full use of this opportunity to obtain an international qualification in addition to their Swinburne degree.” 
 
She said that the ACCA papers at Swinburne will be taught by a team of dedicated and experienced lecturers from Swinburne Sarawak and course materials will also be provided.
 
“Creating opportunities for our students in their studies and career is at the heart of what we do at Swinburne. We constantly look to establish partnerships and collaborations with business and industry that give our graduates an advantage in the job market.”
 
Speaking at the ceremony, Country Head of ACCA Malaysia, Mr. Jeyasothy Palakrishnar said, “This agreement between ACCA and Swinburne University establishes an accelerated pathway via the ACCA Accelerate Program for outstanding accounting and finance undergraduates from Swinburne University to complete the ACCA qualification and fulfil their aspirations to become chartered certified accountants.”
 
“ACCA is happy to be able to expand our presence here in Sarawak to provide students in this region with the opportunity to begin their journey towards becoming a professional accountant. We are very pleased to partner with such an influential institution to groom the next generation of leaders skilled to embark on a career full of possibilities.”
 
Undergraduates from the two programs are required to apply for entry into the ACCA Accelerate Program through Swinburne. Successful applicants will have access to benefits such as the waiver of initial registration fees, annual subscription fee for two years up to their graduation year, and deferment of exemption fees up to two years upon graduation.

About Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus
Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (Swinburne Sarawak) is the international branch campus of Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia (Swinburne Australia). The Sarawak campus opened in Kuching, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, in 2000. The campus is a partnership between Swinburne Australia and the Sarawak Government. It is part of a long-term strategy by Swinburne Australia, established in 1908, to globalise its operations and provide its students with international living, working and learning opportunities.
 
Since it was first set up, Swinburne Sarawak has been growing rapidly. The custom-designed campus has a current student population of about 4,000. Apart from Malaysia, students hail from more than 60 countries, making it a truly international university. Only 15 minutes away from the heart of Kuching City and nestled within commercial and residential areas, the 16.5-acre campus offers undergraduate degrees to postgraduate by research and coursework in engineering, science, commerce, computing and design that are identical to those of its home campus in Australia.
 
Swinburne has an international reputation where in 2016, for the fourth consecutive year, Swinburne was ranked among the world’s top 400 universities by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. In 2017 we advanced to number 61 in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings. Swinburne was recognised in the QS Top 100 Under 50 and we were ranked in the world’s top 450 universities by the QS World University Rankings in 2016.
 
The prestigious Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) ranked Swinburne as one of the world’s top 500 universities in 2016. Swinburne achieved a top 75 ranking in the ARWU in the field of civil engineering and has ranked in the top 200 institutions in the world in science.
 
Swinburne also features in the QS rankings for our world-class graduate employability. The QS Graduate Employability Rankings are based on graduate employment rates and partnerships between universities and employers. This ranking reinforces Swinburne’s reputation as a university that provides practical career outcomes for its graduates. More than 90% of Swinburne Sarawak graduates find employment six months after graduating. This is testament to the University’s world-class education and to its dedication to producing graduates who are job-ready.

Swinburne was recognised as having one of the best design schools in the world by the 2016 QS World Rankings of Universities by Subject. 

About ACCA
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. It offers business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.
 
ACCA supports its 188,000 members and 480,000 students in 181 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a network of 95 offices and centres and more than 7,110 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.
 
Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. It believes that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. ACCA’s core values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and it ensures that through its range of qualifications, it prepares accountants for business. ACCA seeks to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating its qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers. More information is here: www.accaglobal.com

SOURCE : ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : Anita Selvamalar
Consultant, TQPR (Agency for ACCA Malaysia)
Tel : (603) 6203 4300 / (6) 010 219 4164
Email : anitas@tqpr.com

--BERNAMA