CIMA last week announced the accreditation of the first CIMA Learning Partner in the Maldives. This is a landmark achievement for CIMA in the region and a turning point in their expansion outside of the primary market of Colombo.

The naming of Villa College as a CIMA Learning Listed College is a significant achievement for the institute and brings with it opportunities for CIMA to contribute to the growing skills requirement in the Maldives.
The Maldives is home to a population of 11,000 Cambridge O’ level students, of which 2,000 go on to take London A’ level examinations. The education available in the Maldives is however limited to primary and secondary education, thus students wishing to pursue higher education are required to travel abroad for further study.

Despite this many Maldivian students currently pursue higher education including professional qualifications, university degrees and college diplomas in Sri Lanka and neighbouring countries. In accrediting Villa College, CIMA will now be directly servicing the demand for the Chartered Management Accounting qualification among businesses and students on the islands.

The launch of CIMA in the Maldives will bring a multitude of benefits to the region as a whole. The partnership with Villa College is an excellent facilitator for CIMA in Sri Lanka where the CIMA qualification has been well established for over 40 years. In Sri Lanka CIMA has provided the catalyst and foundation for international companies to set up their outsourced finance operations from the UK and establish world class finance research activity in the country. CIMA tuition in the Maldives will further attract students to CIMA Learning Quality Partners and employers in Sri Lanka thus strengthening the talent pool available to the Sri Lankan business community.

The initiative also supports the aim of the Ministry of Education for the Republic of Maldives by widening opportunities for higher education and training, and endowing Maldivians with the necessary knowledge and skills to be productive, able and active participants both in the national and international arena.

2007 has witnessed CIMA Sri Lanka actively seeking involvement outside of their main market of Colombo to support education in Sri Lanka and directly benefit the student population in smaller communities in aspects of professional development. With their move to the Maldives CIMA is set to reinforce their stronghold on the market for the Professional Chartered Management Accounting qualification in the region.

High quality tuition is critical to the successful delivery of the CIMA qualification. Sri Lanka has for some years provided some of the best CIMA tuition in the world for its students and is home to award winning lecturers with internationally acclaimed pass rates. CIMA lecturers in Sri Lanka will provide valuable support to Villa College to ensure the foundations of world class CIMA teaching are established in the Maldives.

Villa College was established in 2007 as part of the Villa Group of companies. Villa is one of the largest groups of companies in the Maldives and has established a reputation for excellence.

Villa sponsors hundreds of students annually to pursue higher education in overseas education institutes. Over the years however it has become apparent that there is a requirement for the provision of higher education and training on the islands themselves. Recognising this need Villa College was founded to provide opportunities for prospective students to study through a fully fledged tertiary education and training institute.

On a recent visit to the Maldives, Mr Robert Jelly, CIMA’s Director of Education based in London, Ms Tam Kam Peng, Head of CIMA Learning Partnerships and Mr Bradley Emerson, CEO of CIMA Sri Lanka inspected the facilities available at Villa and presented to a number of enthusiastic students on the CIMA qualification.

Mr Robert Jelly, CIMA Director of Education commented: “Enabling the delivery of the CIMA qualification in the Maldives by harnessing the world class experience of CIMA Lecturers in Sri Lanka and the support of CIMA Sri Lanka Division is an exciting new initiative for CIMA. Providing access for students, Government and employers in the Maldives to the premier and largest Management Accounting qualification in the world will enable that country to provide new talent and skills for the development of its economy.”