Sunway TES CAE is the only active ICAEW Partner in Learning in Malaysia.
BUILDING a career, particularly in a fast-moving business world, requires a strong foundation to put aspiring professionals to adapt and react to the changes in the sector along the way with strong knowledge and background of the industry.
With this in mind, the Sunway TES Centre for Accountancy Excellence (Sunway TES CAE) at Sunway College offers the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) programme to SPM leavers to equip them with the relevant skills and knowledge to build a successful career after graduation.
Upon completing the ICAEW programme, students will be awarded the internationally recognised ACA qualification which provides career opportunities across the world as an ICAEW chartered accountant. Our graduates have embarked on their careers worldwide including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai and more.
ICAEW is the largest professional accountancy body in Europe. As a world-class professional accountancy body, the ICAEW provides leadership and practical support to over 189,500 members in 190 countries, working with government, regulators and industry to maintain the highest standards. There are over 1,800 members in South-East Asia alone, with the majority concentrated in Malaysia and Singapore.
Sunway TES CAE is the leading professional accountancy education provider with over 27 years of academic excellence and strong industry links. It is also the nation’s only active ICAEW Partner in Learning.
As a testament to the quality of education, Sunway TES students have emerged with the highest marks in the ACA examinations globally, and have been awarded a total of 32 world prizes and 10 overall Orders of Merit.
The innovative pathway
Chia: “Pursuing the programmes will not only allow you have an early headstart to your career, you will also have a professional identity.”
Chia Yee Shin, a Sunway TES CAE alumna who is currently a financial operations specialist at Agoda (based in Bangkok) shares her opinion on the programmes, “Pursuing the programmes will not only allow you have an early headstart to your career which will enable you to generate income to subsidise tuition fees, but at the same time you will also have a professional identity.”
“After I started working, I found that if I wanted to truly understand finance, I needed a certain understanding of each of the related areas to be able to put myself in the shoes of various departments and communicate well with people. ICAEW has helped equip me for this.”
“I chose to study ICAEW with Sunway TES considering the wealth of experience by the lecturers who showed in-depth understanding of the subject matter. Despite the intensive course, lecturers would think out of the box to engage with students and help us learn efficiently and effectively. Some lecturers went above and beyond – I have had summarised notes by lecturers and even separate tutorials outside of class.”
“The abundant support from Sunway TES has helped me pass my ICAEW papers on my first attempt, even though I had no accountancy background prior. I have also been able to form lifelong friendships with some lecturers-turned-mentors, whom I know will continue supporting me through my personal and professional life,” she shared.
Launched by ICAEW in September 2008 in the UK, CFAB is a respected standalone qualification. The CFAB programme offers school leavers an accelerated route to ICAEW ACA qualification. The programme incorporates three-month work-based learning, providing early industry exposure to learners.
Upon successful completion, students can progress to the ICAEW programme for ACA qualification, which includes a minimum duration of three years training contract with the ICAEW Authorised Training Employer – such as BDO, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, AmBank, Sunway and other blue chip organisations.
This pathway at Sunway TES provides students with a job-guaranteed opportunity, and allows them to gain work experience, develop new skills, make contacts and ensure that the chosen career is right for them while they are studying.
Preparing you for a global career
The ACA qualification is regarded globally as one of the leading business and finance qualification and is recognised and valued in practice, industry, commerce and the public sector.
Tan sees the ICAEW programme as a ‘second passport’, which has helped open doors for him.
Alumna Tan Wei Jian, who currently works in a multinational consulting firm attests to this by saying, “The ICAEW programme is highly recognised globally, and I see it as a ‘second passport’ which has helped open doors for me, even for job opportunities abroad.”
He added, “Being one of the first education providers in Malaysia to run the ICAEW programme, Sunway TES provided me a gateway to a global programme with top-class lecturers, all from the comfort of my home country.”
Its unique approach encompasses both classroom studies and practical work experience to offer a holistic learning experience and equip students with the relevant skills to be adept chartered accountants.
To ensure students are well-equipped to get a head start in their career, the advanced stage exams are designed to train students’ practical skills as business advisors and in communication.
Chong: “Our career opportunities are very broad and we can go very far with the ACA qualification.”
As shared by an alumna Chong Yen Ting, who is currently working with a renewable energy developer as Project Funds Manager, “Our career opportunities are very broad and we can go very far with the ACA qualification.
After graduating, some of my classmates were engaged in financial work, while others went ahead into business management.
After completing the accounting professional course, you will not be limited to pursuing an accounting career, because it cultivates students' business thinking, which is applicable in any position in the business world.”
She added “I pursued ICAEW with Sunway TES back in 2006 to 2009. Back then, for an accounting graduate, there are six Professional Level papers and three Advanced Level papers to complete, a total of nine papers.
Typically, classes will start two months before the examinations, which is rather a tight schedule to pick up the technical knowledge in the syllabus, application to the exam questions and learn about the exam technique.”
“Even so, all the lecturers arranged by Sunway TES are good in preparing us to sit for the exams despite the tight schedule. When Sunway TES was unable to source from local experts, they will look for support from overseas lecturers.”
“Thankfully, with the help of lecturers and group study with our classmates, I managed to pass all in the first attempt for all papers.”
Adopting a practical approach, examinations under the ICAEW programme are seamlessly merged with practical on-the-job training.
This fully equips students with all the relevant experience, skills and professional knowledge to make sound decisions in genuine business environments.
Join the ranks of alumni who have made headway into a successful career. Get started with a strong foundation at Sunway TES CAE here.
