The areas where added certifications are available:

Accountancy

The BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance and Diploma in Accounting are two of the most popular programmes at Nilai U. Many of the students join these programmes with a view towards becoming professional accountants. Students are entitled up to nine exemptions from the three major accounting bodies – Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Chartered Institute of management Accountants (CIMA) and Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA).

The latest initiative is the ACCA Accelerate programme which will allow students to complete their professional qualifications at the same time as they are studying for their degree. This time-saving programme will allow students who want to become professional accountants to fast track their careers. “Being able to complete their studies during their undergraduate years is an advantage. It is much easier than having to work and complete the ACCA papers part-time,” says Prof Siva.

Chartered Secretaries and Administrators

“Chartered Secretaries are highly trained corporate professional with a unique set of skills allowing them to work with a company’s board of directors and the management team of a company. Their areas of specialty include corporate law and practices, corporate finance, corporate governance and corporate secretarial practice,” explains Prof Siva.

Students from Nilai U’s Diploma in Business Administration will be entitled to six exemptions from the Professional Diploma in Corporate Administration programme, awarded by the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAICSA). They will only need to complete two papers during the final semester of their Diploma in Business Administration programme in ‘Corporate Compliance and Practice’ and ‘Law and Practice of Meetings’.

Accounting and Finance degree students will be entitled to four exemptions for Part 1 of MAICSA’s International Chartered Secretary and Administrators (ICSA) programme.

Human Resource

“Human respurce is a key component in any organisation and students from the BBA (Hons) in Human Resource Management will undergo 64 hours of training with specialist human resource trainers to have them career ready in this highly specialised field,” says Prof Siva

The training is conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM). Other Business faculty students can also earn enhanced certification from MIHRM by completing the relevant modules.

These enhanced certifications allow students to gain specialist knowledge and also act as a time-saving device. By the time they graduate, these students will have both academic qualifications as well as specialist knowledge in key areas allowing them to forge an exciting career. “We firmly believe in equipping our students with all the necessary qualifications to allow them to carve out a successful career. After all, that is the gist of higher education,” says Prof Siva.

All of Nilai U programmes are approved by the Ministry of Higher Education. The institution is rated ‘Setara 5’ by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
For more information, please visit www.nilai.edu.my or call 06-8502308.

“There has been a giant leap in information technology the last decade or so,” says Harlina Harun, Head of Nilai University’s Department of Computing.

“We have moved from people using PCs and laptops to where everyone has a smart mobile device. It therefore should come as no surprise that there is a great demand for graduates who possess the requisite skills and knowledge.”

Harlina is also keen to dismiss the notion that computing graduates are finding it difficult to get jobs.

“This is an ever-evolving industry and there are new players making waves in new markets. The demand for skilled and qualified graduates is definitely there.”

A study done by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) showed that there is still a shortage of ICT graduates.

The Eleventh Malaysian Plan 2016-2020 focuses on several ICT capabilities and niches namely digital content, software development and testing, Internet of Things, data centres and cloud services, cyber security and big data analytics. The MSC and Non-MSC companies expect their employees to have these skill sets in the future.

To meet the demands of the constantly-evolving IT industry, Nilai U has introduced five new programmes:

Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) Internet Engineering and Cloud Computing

This degree focuses on the relevant knowledge and skills to plan, design, implement, manage and securely maintain computer networking of cloud and internet systems. It contains significantly more internet-related courses with emphasis on understanding internet and cloud computing principles, big data technologies and use of Hadoop and MapReduce.

Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) Graphics and Interactive Media

This degree allows students to explore various facets of graphic design including advertising, publication, packaging, motion graphics and more. It is also designed to provide students with a strong foundation in computing and multimedia which enables graduates to create exciting, interactive multimedia systems, such as sophisticated websites, animation, games and ecommerce software.

Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) Information Systems

This degree equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyse information requirements and business processes of specific organisations. It focuses on how to view technology as an instrument for generating, processing and distributing information. Students will become proficient in managing hardware and software used in computer systems.

All of Nilai U programmes are approved by the Ministry of Higher Education. The institution is rated ‘Setara 5’ by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency.
For more information, please visit www.nilai.edu.my or call 06-8502308.

“If you only want to be an aircraft mechanic, a diploma and EASA certification will be sufficient. But if you want to move into upper management and supervisory roles, having a degree will help. Also, much of the work is very complex. If you really want to secure your future, then do both EASA and a degree I never hire people on the short term. I always look at how they can move forward with the industry.”said Paul

“This is a boom industry. I have been involved in it for over 35 years and it has only ever been growing, save for a dip in 2001. Over the next decade, the number of commercial aircraft will grow by more than 40% resulting in a great demand of aircraft maintenance engineers,”said Paul when he recently officiated the signing of an agreement by KLM UK Engineering and Nilai University for the provision of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) material and the conduct of the European Air Safety Authority (EASA) B1 an B2 examinations at Nilai University.

“The VLE is in addition to the normal lectures, tutorials and practical sessions that we already offer. Combining the VLE from KLM UK Engineering with the exceptional facilities at Nilai University will give our students an even better learning experience” explained Professor Datuk Dr Sothi Rachagan, Vice Chancellor of Nilai University.

Simon Rhodes, the Head of KLM UKE Technical College is effusive of the benefits of the VLE. “The VLE consists of course materials, quizzes, and forums. Students will also be able to interact with KLM UKE instructors in the UK. So if they don’t understand any particular part of a subject or lesson, they can ask questions. Our instructors will post textual responses or videos.”

“A key benefit of the VLE is that it allows students to share knowledge among themselves. They can ask each other questions and this helps with their social learning and this is where the VLE becomes really powerful.”

“The VLE is broken down into chapters and there are quizzes at the end of each chapter. Students put in their answers and the VLE will tell them if the answers are correct or wrong. This allows for self-assessment. Students can use forums if they are not sure of a concept, they can post questions for instructors, who will help them better understand. Students can also post pictures and create their own learning space. The VLE is powerful in the sense that it allows for social learning and tailors to a generation which is used to using social media platforms.”

Nilai U’s BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance Programme is an ACCA Accredited programme, as such, graduates of this programme get the full nine paper exemptions from ACCA. Now, with the ACCA Accelerate programme, our students have the option to complete their remaining 5 ACCA papers at the same time they are studying for their degrees. “Many students are very eager to join the work force and not spend any additional time studying,” states Dr Celis. “Many have expressed that completing their ACCA papers at university is much easier than studying part-time whilst juggling work commitments.”

On hand to sign on behalf of ACCA was David Chin, Head of ACCA Malaysia. He had this to say: “Undergraduates under the ACCA Accelerate programme will be able to graduate with both their accounting degree and ACCA qualification certificates in hand. This will make them more competitive in the employment market and be highly sought after by reputable companies both locally and globally.”

Students who sign up for the ACCA Accelerate scheme will be entitled to:

• Waiver of ACCA’s initial registration fee (worth £79)
• Free annual subscription fee worth £170 for up to two years after graduation (inclusive of graduation year)
• Deferred exemption fee payment (up to 24 months after graduation)

These students can also look forward to further support from ACCA via the organising of informative events, meetings with ACCA members, and promotion of the ACCA qualification at Nilai U. Students who successfully register to study ACCA will automatically gain access to ACCA’s online resources including the ACCA Learning Community which connects over 455,000 ACCA students around the world offering support during study and training.

Nilai U’s business programmes are highly popular among school leavers and this move allowing students to fast track their ACCA qualifications is sure to be greeted positively. The Faculty of Business also offers Diplomas in Accounting and Finance as well as Business Administration. Apart from the BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance, students can get to choose Bachelors of Business Administration (Hons) in the fields of Human Resource Management, Finance, International Business, Marketing and Management.

Nilai U was established in 1997 and is located in the picturesque suburb of Putra Nilai, just 15-minutes from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. All of its programmes are approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and is rated as ‘Setara 5 / Excellent’ by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. For more information, please go to www.nilai.edu.my or call 06-8502308.