A new partnership between Ulster University Business School and PwC will see up to 20 students receive scholarships to complete an elite professional qualification.
The Ulster University Business School’s BSc Hons programme in Finance and Investment Management will now include professional qualifications awarded by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).
CISI is the leading professional body for securities, investment, wealth and financial planning professionals and completing the CISI programme will offer students a competitive edge in the financial services graduate recruitment market.
PwC’s has launched a new Augment Accelerate Awards programme to pay the professional and course fees of up to 20 students completing the CISI programme.
PwC Augment now employs over 400 professionals, providing worldwide multi-disciplinary resources to global banking and financial services clients across a wide range of projects.
Now a key part of PwC’s global client offering, a number of the Augment team have been recruited from the Business School’s BSc Hons programme and have also completed the CISI certification. PwC has launched the awards to encourage more students to consider the Ulster University Business School course and CISI qualifications.
Announcing the PwC Augment Accelerate Awards today [11 October 2017] during a visit of 55 first-year Ulster University BSc Hons Finance and Investment Management students to PwC Belfast HQ, PwC’s Jonathan Williamson said:
“We are delighted to be working with Ulster University and sponsoring up to 20 students through the elite CISI qualifications process. On top of their undergraduate degree the CISI qualifications will make these students well-placed to secure exciting jobs within the financial services sector where people with these skills are in great demand. Students who gain PwC sponsorship for these CISI modules should enjoy accelerated career prospects as these qualifications are generally only obtained once an individual has graduated and entered the workplace. These students will therefore leave university with a distinct competitive advantage."
The BSc Hons Finance and Investment Management’s CISI Partner University status is unique in Ireland. The degree programme offers students the opportunity to study for and sit key CISI professional qualifications, before finishing their degrees, helping them to stand out from the crowd in a competitive recruitment market place.
Welcoming the partnership Undergraduate Finance Course Director, Claire McCann said:
“The BSc Hons Finance and Investment Management seeks to prepare its students for employment in the global financial services sector through providing added value on top of their degree. This added value will certainly happen through the programme’s partnership with the CISI and PwC Augment’s sponsorship of students to complete two of the CISI’s qualifications. We are delighted that these students will have a significant edge when competing in the graduate job market”.
PwC sponsorship includes funding CISI student membership and CISI learning material. The CISI student membership permit eligible students to attend local continuing professional development (CPD) workshops where, alongside local CISI members already working in the profession, they will learn about current topics.