The Kemmy Business School (KBS) and the ICAI joined forces this year through a cooperation agreement whereby ICAI students will be afforded the facility to study for their professional examinations at the state-of-the-art new Kemmy Business School building at the University of Limerick campus. Many graduates of the Bachelor's of Business Studies (BBS) and the BA (Hons) in Law and Accounting, both of which are offered in the Kemmy Business School, go on to pursue Chartered Accountancy as a career and this option is now possible at the KBS, working with the ICAI.
A second dimension of this new partnership arrangement is reflected in the provision of a number of CPD courses for the ICAI members in the Mid-West region and beyond. One of these courses - on finance - will give chartered accountants the opportunity to experience Ireland's first virtual trading floor at first hand. This unique facility provides, through a licence from Thomson Reuters International, access in real time to the world's financial and economic data in exactly the same way and time as it is provided to the 'live' traders in London, Frankfurt and New York (to name but three leading financial centres). Courses will also be offered in taxation, drawing on the School's expertise in the National Centre for Taxation Studies.
The focus on excellence is a common thread linking the ICAI and the KBS. The BBS programme was granted EPAS accreditation earlier this year, being the first and only undergraduate programme in Ireland to achieve this accolade. The programme was subjected to a rigorous international assessment by a peer review panel from leading Business Schools in France, Denmark and the UK. Graduates of this programme who pursue chartered accountancy are assured of having a first class undergraduate foundation and preparation for their chosen career. By extension the Law and Accounting degree is similarly focussed as half their programme is integrated with the BBS students and the law components are delivered by the University's School of Law.
The choice of chartered accountancy as a career by our graduates is strongly influenced by the excellent reputation and high standards of the ICAI, built up painstakingly and without compromise over generations. The focus of the Institute on Continuing Professional Development and the provision of a diverse range of CPD programmes across many specialities demonstrates the importance attached to ensuring that over 17,000 ICAI members remain relevant to the needs of their clients. The reputation of the ICAI for excellence is not just confined to ensuring their assessment and examinations are appropriately tested at the entry point to the profession but that the maintenance of high professional standards throughout the career of a Chartered Accountant is of paramount importance.
As a school that includes in our mission statement the ambition to "be Ireland's leading business school and well respected internationally", we in the Kemmy Business School have immense pride in our graduates and recognise that their actions and achievements throughout their careers impact on the reputation of their alma mater and on the qualifications they hold. We, in turn, believe in the continuous improvement of these foundation undergraduate programmes as an important testament to maintaining our strong reputation and being the business school of choice not just for those aspiring to be Chartered Accountants but across a whole range of business career preferences.
Hence we are excited about this new partnership arrangement with the ICAI given the strong and common focus we have on the excellence of our respective contributions to enhancing the quality of the human capital entrusted to us. We see it as the start of a longer term relationship that will benefit the economy and business community of the Mid-West region and Ireland as a whole.
Prof Donal A Dineen
Dean, Kemmy Business School
University of Limerick
For more information on the Kemmy Business School please visit www.ul.ie/business
For more information on upcoming CPD courses in Limerick please visit www.icai.ie/cpd