News Releases

UWI and ACCA sign historic MOU

For Release Upon Receipt - June 2, 2010

St. Augustine


                        

New agreement allows credit transfer between University and Association

The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at furthering the provision of high quality Accountancy education and training in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.

“This MOU provides greater visibility and recognition for our Accountancy Programme here at UWI St Augustine on the one hand and  on the other hand, it provides the ACCA with access to a high quality pool of Accounting graduates who may wish to pursue professional qualification,” said Mr Errol Simms, Head of UWI’s Department of Management Studies.  

He said the MOU recognises outstanding graduates in accountancy through the provision of prizes, the facility for UWI students to attend ACCA continuing professional development seminars, and collaboration towards hosting a joint student event as part of the ongoing UWI St Augustine 50th Anniversary celebrations.

UWI Pro Vice Chancellor and St Augustine Campus Principal, Professor Clement Sankat, and Mr Roger Acton, ACCA Regional Director for Europe and Americas, signed the MOU in a formal ceremony on Monday 24th May, 2010. Professor Sankat described the MOU signing as “testament to a productive partnership for the benefit of our students, the business community and by extension, the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the region.”

“ACCA plays a central role in supporting students around the world by providing relevant and distinctive qualifications in accountancy, finance and management. As the leading tertiary education institution in Trinidad and Tobago and the region, the UWI’s partnership with the ACCA is founded on our mutual interest in promoting quality and excellence,” said Professor Sankat.

“The signing of this MOU further demonstrates ACCA’s commitment to fostering partnerships beneficial to the support and development of the global accounting profession,” said Mr Acton. “Our collaboration with an institution of UWI’s calibre can only augur well for the future of the profession in the region and will undoubtedly provide greater opportunities for young finance and accounting professionals.”

The ceremony, which was hosted by the Office of the St Augustine Campus Principal and chaired by Dr David Rampersad, Director of the UWI Business Development Office, attracted an audience that included Mrs. Carla Dubé, St Augustine Campus Bursar, Dr. Hamid Ghany, Dean of the St Augustine Faculty of Social Sciences, Brenda Lee Tang, Head of Corporate Development, ACCA Caribbean, Mr Shane Kisson, manager of ACCA Southern Caribbean and members of the Faculty of the Department of Management Studies.

For more information, please contact Mr Errol Simms, Head of the Department of Management Studies at Errol.Simms@sta.uwi.edu.

 

For the latest UWI News, click http://sta.uwi.edu/news.

 

About ACCA

ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. It aims to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. It supports 140,000 members and 404,000 students in 170 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. The ACCA works through a network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,000 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, it promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with over 50 physical site locations across the region, serving over 20 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Pure & Applied Sciences, Science and Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

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