Accreditation – role model

Professionals in Pakistan

Accreditation is one of the most efficient pathways to professional qualification. Here we take a look at the accreditation work between the Institute and Pakistan.

There is increasing demand for Institute accreditation of the professional development work being undertaken across the banking sector, both in the UK and overseas.

Institutions across the world see the Chartered Banker Institute’s “quality hallmark” as a very valuable endorsement of their learning programmes.

As Giles Cuthbert, the Institute’s Director of Professional Standards, explains, these accreditation initiatives with the Chartered Banker Institute are viewed as an important way of helping reinforce and promote professionalism: “Accreditation is bringing a far wider population of banking sector personnel into direct contact with their industry’s professional body, including those for whom aspiring to the top-level Chartered Banker qualification wouldn’t necessarily be an educational pathway.”

In a groundbreaking move, the Chartered Banker Institute has an accreditation system in place with the Institute of Bankers Pakistan (IBP). As Giles explains: “The IBP’s Superior Qualification (ISQ) programme is one of the major learning programmes of the IBP and allows individuals to benefit from the accreditation agreement.

“To put the agreement in place, the Institute carried out a rigorous assessment of the methodology behind the IBP which now allows for this favourable position of accreditation.”

The IBP’s remit is to provide training, assessment and academic support to universities and research, as Shahnoor Meghani, Head of Strategic Initiatives at the IBP, explains: “We aim to provide a strong technical training platform for ongoing personal growth and a reliable yardstick for assessing the quality and depth of knowledge and skills acquired,” Meghani adds: “Three years ago, our Council decided it was time for major change.

As a result, we have looked at ways to improve all of our products. Our objective with the diploma programme was to give it an international flavour and international recognition. So, we partnered with the Chartered Banker Institute to validate the programme’s quality.”

The ISQ programme, which is available to all graduates and college students and banking staff who have completed their graduation, has three levels: Junior Associateship, Associateship and Fellowship.

Junior Associateship is the first to have been accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute. It involves three stages and 12 subjects, 11 of which are compulsory. Candidates must specialise in one subject from a selection of four.

The accreditation agreement means that all Junior Associateship candidates who enrol in the ISQ programme from July 2011 onwards will receive joint certification by IBP and the Chartered Banker Institute when they complete their studies. They will also be eligible to use the title Associate Chartered Banker.

Candidates who are partway through their Junior Associateship programme will have to pass an examination to fulfil the requirements of the Chartered Banker Institute’s accreditation.

As Meghani explains, there are plans to have the other levels accredited. “In future, we intend to benchmark our Associate classification so that it is equivalent to the UK’s Chartered Banker level.”

All 42 banks in Pakistan participate in the programme, and Meghani is very excited about the future of the agreement: “It will create international recognition of our programme, and promote collaboration, transfer of knowledge and best practice.”

Meanwhile, Giles Cuthbert says: “I am delighted to confirm that the accreditation of the ISQ programme has been fully approved. “We were extremely impressed with the processes and procedures that the IBP has in place, many of which are world-leading in terms of banking education.

“Accreditation agreements from the Chartered Banker Institute are highly valued and the fact they are transportable builds the status of all our members,” he adds.

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