Fast-Track Pathway towards CIM Professional Marketing Qualification at TAR UC

A launching ceremony was held on 25 October 2017 at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) Kuala Lumpur Main Campus to signify the strategic collaboration between TAR UC and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (‘CIM’) which will provide a fast-track pathway towards obtaining CIM’s professional marketing qualification. The launching ceremony was attended by Datuk Dr Mary Yap Kain Ching, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, President of TAR UC, Tan Sri Dato’ Prof Dr James Alfred, President of CIM Malaysia and Mr Ian Marshall, Head of International Relations, CIM UK.

The collaboration leads to TAR UC’s Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Marketing programme being accredited and granted advanced standing into Level 6 of CIM’s Diploma in Professional Marketing which is also the highest level offered by CIM to any institution of higher learning in Malaysia. With this recognition, TAR UC students of the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Marketing will be exempted from 1 out of 3 modules of the Diploma in Professional Marketing. TAR UC students will have to attempt the remaining two modules and they are the Mastering Metric which is compulsory and one elective module where students can choose to do either Driving Innovation or Digital Strategy.

The collaboration also marks TAR UC as the first and only institution of higher learning in Malaysia to be granted the Graduate Gateway status under the new CIM programme structure. On top of this, TAR UC is also recognised as an Accredited Study Centre by CIM since 2016. The recognition paves the way for TAR UC to conduct classes for the Foundation Certificate in Marketing and Certificate in Professional Marketing programmes.

In her address at the launching ceremony, Datuk Dr Mary Yap expressed her confidence that the collaboration will certainly add value to Malaysia’s efforts in becoming an international education hub. “With TAR UC, one of Malaysia’s premier institutions of higher learning, and CIM, the largest professional marketing body in the world, collaborating in the furtherance of top-notch business education, I believe it will bring great impact to the education sector in Malaysia in its quest to become the destination of choice for high quality tertiary education in the region. Our aim is to elevate Malaysia to be an international education hub that will attract students from all over the world to come and pursue their studies here. Nevertheless, to achieve our aim, we need to have a compelling competitive advantage that will enhance Malaysia’s appeal as the education hub. What will tilt the scales in our favour will be top quality affordable education offered in Malaysia and I am pleased to see that the collaboration between TAR UC and CIM certainly strikes a perfect combination of affordability and quality that will lend support to our efforts,” she said.

Meanwhile, Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok in his speech highlighted the competitive advantage that students would gain through this collaboration. He said: “The collaboration between TAR UC and CIM come naturally since both take seriously the shared responsibility of producing such much needed professional marketers for the country and for this region. The collaboration with CIM, a leading international professional marketing body recognised by industry leaders all over the world will provide a pathway for our students to obtain additional professional qualification that will provide them with a competitive edge over others. This professional qualification will value-add the academic degree qualification offered by TAR UC and will be a testimony that TAR UC students have industry-relevant knowledge and skills set required by the industry.”

Tan Sri Dato’ Prof Dr James Alfred on the other hand explained the benefits of gaining a professional qualification from CIM. He said: “Students studying for this qualification can seek employment opportunities in any part of the world. Students can register as Affiliate Member, pass the exam and progress to become Associate Member, Member and thereafter Fellow of the Institute with Continuous Professional Development (‘CPD’) to obtain Chartered Marketer status.”

Mr Ian Marshall added the learning and professional development support that CIM would offer to TAR UC students following from this collaboration. He elaborated: “Students at TAR UC can register online with CIM as a CIM Affiliate Member and get access to a wide range of online resources which will assist them in developing their practical and professional skills now and during their career.”

Since 2016, TAR UC has had conducted one CIM module, ‘Mastering Metrics’, to a group of students and had an encouraging results with an outstanding 89.9% pass rate which exceeds the CIM’s world average pass rate of 75.85%. The University College is planning to conduct classes for the Foundation Certificate in Marketing and Certificate in Professional Marketing starting next year and these classes will be opened to the general public.