By M.V.A. Kumar
DOHA: Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK’s Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, to come up with joint professional and academic programmes from September next year.
The objective of this strategic partnership is to build a well-qualified human capital base that supports the financial sector in Qatar and the region, officials from both sides said. QFBA’s Chairman, Sheikh Fahad Faisal Al Thani, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Northumbria University, Prof. Jon Reast, signed the agreement.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Horr, CEO of QFBA, described the signing of the MoU as being a part of QFBA’s strategy to unlock human potential and empower professionals to reach new heights in their career. He said the partnership with Northumbria University would open a world of opportunites for Qatari youth.
“Through this agreement, we will be presenting a package of various scientific and professional programmes that harmonise with the needs of the labour market in Qatar. The programmes will sport a qualitative aspect and international recognition for the national and international reputation that the Academy and the University enjoy.”
Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School was named UK “Business School of the Year” in the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards in December, 2015 and it recently achieved double AACSB accreditation in Accounting and Business (making it the only business school in Europe to earn such an accreditation).
Sheikh Fahad Faisal Al Thani said the MoU with Northumbria University represented 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.”
The agreement will lead to a strategic cooperation in various technical and scientific fields in addition to the exchange of expertise and professors to provide the best accredited academic and professional programmes.
Northumbria University, which has a history dating back to the 1880s, is a research-rich, business-focused, professional university with a global reputation for academic excellence.
Its alumni include Sir Jonathan Paul ‘Jony’ Ive, Chief Design Officer (CDO) of Apple Inc, the renowned designer of Apple’s products. Prof. Reast said the university would be keen to co-operate with QFBA and 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.
The academic and professional programmes presented in partnership with Northumbria University are built around four key principles, namely 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.
The Peninsula
