Buiding a strong foundation through accounting
Joseph Lim Jit Sek, Sunway Kuching chief executive officer
In line with the efforts of other universities, Sunway College Kuching (Sunway Kuching) for its part has taken on the role of being the largest tuition provider of accountancy courses in East Malaysia.
Established in 2008, following the takeover of Cadas Business School by the Sunway Group, it is a subsidiary of Sunway TES, the financial courses division of Sunway University based in Petaling Jaya, Selangor state.
With a local student population of 1,000, Sunway Kuching currently has three accountancy
programmes, namely Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) and London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) International Qualifications Diploma in Accounting.
All its programmes are accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), which was formerly known as the National Accreditation Board (Lembaga Akreditasi Negara or LAN).
Sunway Kuching chief executive officer, Joseph Lim Jit Sek told BizHive Weekly that it was the first and only tuition provider in East Malaysia to be awarded Platinum Approved Learning Partner status by the ACCA.
This status was achieved upon meeting stringent performance indicators such as pass rates which exceeded those of the world, effective management and relevant support services.
Since achieving the prestigious Platinum status, the college has successfully retained it for the last four consecutive examinations sittings.
Currently, the college has nurtured a total of 205 ACCA affiliates, 452 CAT finalists and 111 LCCI Diploma holders. In addition, Sunway Kuching also produced three CAT World Prize Winners, 19 ACCA and CAT Malaysian Prize Winners, as well as 36 LCCI Gold and Silver Medallion winners.
In addition, Lim added that, “We also offer, on a full-time and part-time basis, English language courses and software application courses. Full-time students taking up the English courses will follow the University of Cambridge syllabus and sit for the Cambridge examinations, namely the Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test (PET) and First Certificate in English (FCE), while part-time students will study for the City and Guilds examination.
Lim elaborated, “Our curriculum incorporates applied learning, through activities like site visits, case study competitions, seminars, workshops and corporate social reponsibility projects. This makes our students more in tune with the real world and allows them to quickly find their feet in employment.
“A further exceptional facet of our curriculum is the internship and job placement programmes that we have established in collaboration with a number of reputable audit and accounting service firms. These programmes have allowed our students to gain valuable practical experience while pursuing the final stages of their ACCA courses,” he added.
Taking into account that proficiency in the English language was vital for continued business success, it was incorporated into the curriculum.
When asked about the challenges faced, Lim further elaborated that persuading local students to take up ACCA as a professional qualification was difficult. “There are two challenges that we face. Firstly is to persuade local students that we are just as good, if not better than the college or university from overseas or Peninsular Malaysia.
“Secondly is persuading students that professional qualifications like ACCA is just as good, if not better than the degree courses that are available.”
On expansion plans in other parts of Sarawak, he explained that Sunway Kuching had a distance learning portal called ‘earnmyacca.com’. This programme was aimed to take the ACCA course statewide and worldwide, particularly to locales where Sunway Kuching did not have any physical presence.
“Through the provision of support distance learning services via a variety of learning materials and teaching guidance, it is now possible for outstation students to study for individual papers credited towards the professional qualification, or the entire programme at a distance,” he added.
Recently, Sunway Kuching signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Institute of Professional Development – Open University Malaysia (IPD-OUM) to enhance the capability and intellectual development of educational and training programmes to produce knowledge and skilled workforce for the state of Sarawak.
According to Lim, under the proposed collaboration, IPD-OUM and Sunway Kuching would together provide hands-on executive skill-based training programmes.
According to Professor Tan Sri Anuwar Ali, president and vice chancellor of OUM, “Recognising this strong demand for lifelong learning, the IPD-OUM in collaboration with Sunway Kuching has developed a set of curriculum that aims at bridging the gap between industry expectation and excellence.”
In addition, Anuwar elaborated that it was a way of contribution to support the government in the cultural, social and economic transformation of the people of Sarawak. The efforts were also in line with the objectives of SCORE.
When asked about future expansion plans, Lim said that Sunway Kuching was planning to move to a new campus at Song Plaza. “We are putting the finishing touches and will complete the relocation very soon.”
Situated at the Jalan Tun Jugah – Jalan Song intersection, the new Sunway premises double in size in terms of floor area, will feature a modern city campus, with state-of-the-art facilities, hostels for students, student lounge and 300 parking bays.
He added that the move was a timely opportunity and sensible next step as the current college space had reached its full capacity. Lim also explained that he believed that it was time that the college matched the quality of its education with a more contemporary teaching facility.