KUALA LUMPUR, January 28 – The global body for professional accountants ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that creates an integrated pathway programme for IBO students towards a professional accountancy career.
Pulkit Abrol, director ASEAN ANZ at ACCA and Haif Bannayan, global director, business development at IBO signed the agreement which will see the creation of an International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) with ACCA.
This means that IBO students who are seeking an accelerated pathway to a career in accounting, finance and assurance can get a head-start through the IBCP with ACCA’s Diploma in Accounting and Business (DIAB) Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 4.
The MOU will create opportunities for young people as the future of the accountancy profession, with the agreement aligning to ACCA’s commitment to UN SDG 4 Quality Education, which is one of the nine ACCA has pledged to achieve by 2030.
Pulkit Abrol said: ‘We are very pleased to sign this MOU with the IBO as it brings great benefits. ACCA and the IBO share similar values and missions, including a drive to increase access to education for young people. This programme exemplifies these values of inclusion, integrity and innovation, and offers students an excellent route to ACCA membership in the future. This is a unique pathway to eventually qualifying as a professional accountant.’
Haif Bannayan added: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with the ACCA to introduce students to high quality accounting and business practices. The CP blends academic study with specialist courses from leading professional bodies and other institutions enabling students to develop the necessary skills to pursue their career objectives. It also instills confidence, social responsibility, and a sense of purpose. These elements are an integral part of a future oriented curriculum.’
ACCA’s DIAB covers a wide variety of business and finance subjects, including technology and digitalisation, alongside core financial and management accounting subjects.
The Diploma also provides the context for political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal situations, ethical frameworks and various competencies, reflecting ACCA’s seven professional quotients that are deemed essential for finance professionals – technical and ethical competences, experience, intelligence, creative, digital, emotional intelligence and vision.
Those choosing to kick-start their journey with ACCA through IBCP will:
• Receive exemption from ACCA’s Applied Knowledge papers three modules: Business and Technology, Financial Accounting, and Management Accounting, together with ACCA’s Foundations in Professionalism (FiP) module, leaving only 10 papers to complete in the ACCA Qualification.
• Pursue the programme at their own pace, with quarterly examinations, including on-demand computer-based exams for the DIAB.
• Specialise in chosen areas in the future with ACCA Strategic Professional Options papers, or gain additional qualifications including BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University and MSc in Professional Accountancy from the University of London.
