UK-based CIMA to boost mgm't accountants' competitive edge

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino management accountants will have the opportunity to boost their competitive edge both here and abroad by obtaining their international qualifications without leaving Manila, as UK-based Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) teams up with two institutions in the Philippines to offer its professional qualifications in the country.

CIMA, the world’s leading and largest professional body of management accountants, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and De La Salle University (DLSU) to offer the CIMA Masters Gateway Assessment (CMGA).

Those who complete the CMGA will be awarded the CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting.

DLSU will offer the CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting and the CIMA Professional Qualification (Diploma and Advanced Diploma) to interested students. The qualifications will be available at the two institutions starting January 2011.

British Ambassador Stephen Lillie welcomed the MoU signings.

“We are pleased that CIMA qualifications are now to be offered in the Philippines. The CIMA qualification provides world-class training locally, which will improve business efficiency and contribute to the local economy. I’m delighted to support this latest example of Philippine-British business and educational co-operation,” Lillie said.

The British Embassy’s UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) team has been supporting CIMA since 2008, helping to promote their services to potential partners and corporate clients in the country.

“CIMA is very grateful to the UKTI team in Manila for their good work and support since CIMA first went to Manila in November 2008. It was UKTI team who helped us from the onset and we had been growing at a quite swift pace since. We are very pleased to partner with the two best universities in The Philippines,” said Prof. Dr. Robert Jelly, executive director for education at CIMA Global.

“CIMA hopes to work closely with both institutions to train more management accountants who in return will help their companies to grow and boost the country’s economy,” he said.

According to independent research conducted by the University of Bath School of Management in the UK, CIMA’s syllabus and examination structure are the most relevant to the needs of business of all the accountancy bodies assessed.

The CIMA syllabus changes every four years to suit the needs and requirements of employers, and the qualification has evolved over the years into what is now recognised all over the world as the qualification of choice for employers.

CIMA is committed to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards of members and students, and to maintaining public confidence in management accountancy

Founded in 1919, CIMA has 172,000 members and students in more than 160 countries. CIMA works closely with employers and sponsors leading-edge research, constantly updating its qualification to ensure it remains the employers’ choice when recruiting financially-trained business leaders.