Accounting students on study tour to get industry exposure
MIRI: A total of 38 accounting student members of the CPA Australia Student Charter (CPAASC) and other commerce students of the Faculty of Business of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) recently visited several companies in Kuala Lumpur to get industry exposure.
Supported by CPA Australia - Malaysia and the Department of Accounting of Curtin Sarawak’s Faculty of Business, their fourday study tour included visits to PwC ( PricewaterhouseCoopers) Malaysia, Feruni Ceramiche Sdn Bhd, Malayan Banking Bhd, BDO Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia and Shell Business Service Centre Sdn Bhd.
Accompanying the students were representatives from CPA Australia in Malaysia including CPA Australia relationship manager Leong Pui Kuan.
During the visit to PwC Malaysia, the group was given a guided tour of the company’s office, during which they met with staff and learned about the wide range of services offered by the global ‘Big 4’ firm.
At Feruni Ceramiche, managing director Dato’ CC Ngei gave a presentation on the company, its products and services, as well as its job opportunities for graduates.
He spoke about Feruni Ceramiche’s efforts to attract talented millennials into its workforce.
While at Malayan Banking Bhd, the students had the opportunity to take part in the Maybank Go Ahead Challenge, an international case competition that challenges the intellect, creativity and endurance of participants.
At BDO Malaysia, the group attended a talk by the company’s director of Talent Acquisition, Thong Siew Fong on the importance of acquiring professional qualifications.
Meanwhile at Bursa Malaysia, students learned about the function of stocks and got a firsthand look at the stock market in action.
At Shell Business Service Centre Sdn Bhd, students from Curtin Sarawak, Sunway College and Monash University Malaysia Campus took part in a case study.
Putting their critical thinking to the test, the students from the three institutions received constructive feedback from staff of the company.
CPAASC president Celyne Alycia Foo commented that the study tour helped her get a clearer picture of the attributes and employability skills required of graduates.
CPA student ambassador Arun Gunasagaran said it was a good opportunity to learn about the companies to kick- start his career.
All the students agreed that such study tours and industrial visits gave valuable insights into the business world and are glad the university’s Faculty of Business builds such activities into its curriculum to help them prepare for future careers.
The Faculty aimed to encourage students to participate in connecting to the industry.
The Department of Accounting said through this event, a number of its students had been invited for internship placement and fulltime employment.
Foo said it was a fruitful excursion for the students as a number of them were granted interviews for jobs with the companies visited.
Company representatives gave positive feedback on the students’ participation during their visits to their companies.
CPAASC is an independent, selfregulated student club established under Curtin Sarawak’s Faculty of Business with direct supervision from CPA Australia in Malaysia.
For more information on CPAASC, visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CPAASC. CurtinSarawak/