Fast track accounting programme
FOR 19-year-old Ilyana Ibrahim, the fastest route to enter the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) programme was to enrol in the Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) programme at Sunway TES Centre for Accountancy Excellence (CAE).
She believes there is a high demand for qualified ICAEW chartered accountants.
Having gained straight As in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams and awarded the SunwayICAEW Global Accountant Scholarship, which covers tuition and examination fees, Ilyana enrolled after obtaining her SPM results in March 2016.
Ilyana was recently an ICAEW World Prize winner and received a scholarship for her Professional Level tuition fees.
“If all goes well, I will be completing my Professional Level papers by September. Then, I will proceed to my Advance Level papers while working part-time and complete the ACA in September 2021.
“By then, I would be a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants,” she said.
Citing her favourite subjects as accounting and tax, Ilyana said lecturers in the programme are helpful.
“Our lecturers are patient enough to answer all the questions we have, no matter how silly. In addition, they provide extra materials and questions for us to practise. I believe this helps create a new depth towards our understanding.
“The ICAEW programme in Sunway TES is broken down into three months per semester for the Certificate Level and Professional Level, so there is only three months for us to master the whole subject before we sit for our final examination.
“This is tough when we are taking two papers a semester. However, time management is definitely key here.
“Besides that, the questions and syllabus are built upon the existing system in UK and Europe which makes it less practical and applicable for a student studying in Malaysia.
“Furthermore, the lack of understanding and familiarity towards the business environment as compared to ICAEW students in the UK whom are mostly working adults and degree holders, is definitely a disadvantage. This is where a lot of reading needs to take place to develop my understanding. The guidance from my lecturers have helped,” said the former student of SMK Aminuddin Baki, Kuala Lumpur.
Other than concentrating on her studies, Ilyana also makes time to participate in extracurricular activities; she was actively involved in the Sunway College Student Council (SCC) as a member of the executive committee until last December.
“I was the treasurer during the Jan-June 2017 term and the project manager for Freshies Night ‘17, the biggest annual event organised by the SCC.”
Ilyana said the ICAEW programme at Sunway TES CAE helped develop her perspective on things and build her soft skills, such as communication and presentation.
She recommends the programme to those who are keen on a professional qualification and are up for the challenge.
The Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) was launched by ICAEW in September 2008 in the UK as a new stand-alone business qualification.
It provides essential knowledge in the fundamentals of finance, accounting and business, and can be used as an entry route into the ICAEW programme.
Following the launch of the CFAB in UK, Sunway TES CAE designed a pathway for school leavers into the ICAEW programme with an accelerated route to the ICAEW ACA qualification.
The pathway’s approach allows both classroom studies and practical work experience.
Sunway TES CAE is the leading professional accountancy and finance provider in the Asia Pacific region.
It was incorporated in 1994 as a subsidiary of Sunway College, which in turn is a member of the Sunway Education Group.
■ For details call 03-7491 8622, e-mail info@sunway.edu.my or visit https://college.sunway.edu.my/programmes/tes