Fostering relationships
THE HELP Group has a tradition of partnerships with many highly ranked foreign universities. Probably the highest ranked is University of London, in association with the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), which has consistently ranked among the best institutions worldwide for social sciences and employer reputation.
The HELP Group’s relationship with University of London goes back to 1986 when it became the first institution in the world to offer Diploma in Economics outside the United Kingdom.
It was also the first to offer an undergraduate degree in Malaysia through the University of London’s External Programme, since renamed University of London International Programmes.
Degrees are offered at two centres in Kuala Lumpur – HELP Academy in Damansara Heights and HELP College of Arts and Technology (HELP CAT) at Fraser Business Park.
Both centres were awarded Affiliate Centre status by University of London, which considers them to have demonstrated a sustained commitment to high standards in regard to the teaching, support and administration of students.
The Affiliate Centre status is the highest level of recognition awarded by University of London.
At HELP Academy, students have a choice of five programmes – Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, Economics and Management, Economics, Business and Banking and Finance.
These programmes can be completed entirely in Malaysia and degrees awarded are of identical standard to the University of London institutions.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance is awarded many exemptions by ACCA and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
There are also plans to gain exemptions from CIMA so students can opt to gain a Diploma in Management Accounting while studying for a degree in Accounting and Finance.
To date, HELP has an impressive track record of over 2,000 University of London graduates with more than 40 awarded First Class Honours. Joining this prestigious list at the recent HELP Convocation were Lau Ann Joe and Leong Fang Teng, both Accounting and Finance students from HELP Academy.
The graduates were presented their degrees at the 2013 convocation by University of London International Programmes director Dr Keith Sharp.
As part of HELP’s long relationship with University of London, a public lecture supported by LSE was held in Kuala Lumpur.
The talk was by LSE Prof of Economics Dr Danny Quah. In the lecture entitled “Nobody’s world, everyone’s problem? Who’s afraid of a little global hegemony”, Prof Quah challenged the audience to consider the significance, in the last three decades, of the dramatic shift eastwards of the world’s economic centre and what this would mean for the Malaysian economy.
Prof Quah has served on Malaysia’s National Economic Advisory Council (20092011) and is the recipient of the Hanban Confucius Institute Individual Performance Excellence Award for promoting greater understanding of China’s place in the world.
Such lectures are part of the continuous effort by both institutions to foster intellectual exchanges and networking and for University of London International Programmes alumni in Malaysia to get together.
In this vein, the University of London chose to conduct its first ever Learning and Teaching Symposium in Kuala Lumpur last May, attended by faculty members from provider institutions from a range of countries.
Students wishing to consider a University of London degree can join after completing a range of pre-university studies such as A-Levels, STPM, UEC, Australian Matriculation, Canadian Pre-University studies, International Baccalaureate and selected Diplomas and Foundations.
Another route is HELP’s Foundation programme, currently the only foundation course approved by University of London for direct entry into the degrees.
The one-year course can be done entirely at HELP.
In the near future, students will also have the option of University of London’s very own International Foundation Programme, a one-year course of four subjects with content developed by LSE. Again, both HELP Centres were approved by the University of London to conduct this reputable foundation course, which also allows access to a range of prestigious universities worldwide.
More details can be found at http://www. help.edu.my/uol/programmes.html or call 03-2094 2000.