Officials of Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) and Northumbria University in Newcastle have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide joint professional and academic programmes. The MoU signing ceremony was led yesterday by QFBA chairman Sheikh Fahad Faisal al-Thani and Northumbria University’s Professor Jon Reast, pro vice-chancellor (International), at the QFBA headquarters.
The programmes, which will be available from September 2017 to both Qatari and expatriate professionals, form part of QFBA’s aim of building a “well-qualified” human capital base that supports the financial sector in the country and the region, said QFBA chief executive officer Abdulaziz al-Horr.
The partnership, according to al-Horr, is the latest addition to QFBA’s line-up of “world-class courses” in the fields of accounting and financial management, in addition to granting certifications to its graduates.
Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School was named UK’s “Business School of the Year” in the Times Higher Education Awards last December. In 2014, the university achieved double AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation in accounting and business, making it the only business school in Europe to earn such an accreditation.
According to Sheikh Fahad, the MoU is a “great achievement” for QFBA and Northumbria University. He said the partnership will lead to a strategic co-operation in various technical and scientific fields, in addition to the exchange of expertise and professors to provide the best accredited academic and professional programmes.
“QFBA’s MoU with Northumbria University represents a milestone in the academy’s tangible contribution to the realisation of the Qatar National Vision 2030. This agreement is poised to play a key role in harmonising training qualifications with the evolving job market needs, while powering the financial sector in Qatar and the region with an entire generation of well-qualified professionals capable of elevating the profile of their organisations, as well as Qatar as a preferred business hub that attracts investments and businesses,” Sheikh Fahad said.
Al-Horr emphasised that the partnership with Northumbria “opens a world of opportunities for Qatar’s youth.”
“Through this agreement, we will be presenting a package of various scientific and professional programmes that harmonises with the needs of the labour market in Qatar,” he emphasised.
Reast also noted that Northumbria University is “pleased” to embark on a new relationship with QFBA to provide the academy’s students with state-of-the-art undergraduate and post-graduate courses that will sharpen their knowledge and enable them to compete in the global job market.
Al-Horr explained that the technical and scientific programmes presented in the partnership will help students learn about the latest scientific developments and best practices.
He added that the academic and professional programmes are built around four key principles: research-rich learning, achieving together, digital learning, and real-world experience.
“These principles will make students more employable and fast track their career or help them start their own business and become entrepreneurs,” al-Horr said.