Accounting Graduates Get Head Start To Professional Qualifications Under TalentCorp

KUALA SELANGOR - 25 May 2015: Towards meeting Malaysia’s requirement for 60,000 qualified accountants by 2020, two memoranda of understanding (MoU) were exchanged today between Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and two professional accounting bodies - CPA Australia and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

To accelerate the progression of accounting students to become professionally qualified accountants, the MoUs will pave the way for Malaysian students in local universities to start their journey to become chartered accountants while still in university.

“The Government’s efforts to produce industry-relevant graduates is to ensure that our young Malaysian talent are able to access the high income opportunities arising from our economic transformation,” said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department YB Dato’ Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, who witnessed the MoU exchange which was held at the UiTM Puncak Alam Campus.

The first MOU between TalentCorp, UiTM and CPA Australia will enable 300 accounting students at UiTM to begin their professional qualification journey by taking one professional paper under the CPA programme while still pursuing their degree program. 

Meanwhile, the second MOU between TalentCorp and CIMA is an industry academia collaboration where participating employers and TalentCorp will jointly support 200 Malaysian accounting students at local universities to go through a structured internship and to take the CIMA professional papers. 

YB Dato’ Sri Wahid further added, “Upskilling our graduates with industry recognised professional qualifications will help our Malaysian talent realise their potential. I would like to applaud the Accounting Faculty of UiTM in taking the lead, encouraging its students to pursue professional qualifications and start taking professional papers before they graduate.” 

Earlier, YB Dato’ Sri Wahid launched the Industry Engagement Zone (Ind-E-Zone) at UiTM Puncak Alam Campus, which aims to address the skills mismatch between new graduates and industry demands while empowering students to better prepare themselves for employment.

“The professional accountancy upskilling programs and Ind-E-Zone centres are part of TalentCorp’s efforts to enhance graduate employability through industry academia collaborations,” explained Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp.

The Ind-E-Zone connects undergraduates to industry-relevant content and educate them on internship and career opportunities within Malaysia’s key industries. Additionally, they offer a range of activities such as Industry Engagements, Networking Sessions, Career Talks and Sharing Sessions with employers to help students make more informed career decisions.

Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Prof Ir Dr Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar, Vice Chancellor of UiTM added, “The Ind-E-Zone marks another feather in the cap for UiTM in bridging the gap between academia and the industry. This will enable us to enhance our students’ employability, and coupled with today’s MOU with TalentCorp and CPA Australia, will increase the number of registered chartered accountants amongst Bumiputera which currently only constitutes eight percent.”

The Ind-E-Zone in UiTM marks the tenth centre to be established since it was first introduced in late 2014 to help undergraduates get ready for the working world. By the end of this year, there will be 12 Ind-E-Zones established in public universities across Malaysia.

For more information on TalentCorp and its work in enhancing graduate employability, visit www.talentcorp.com.my