Zimpapers Logo

TelOne Centre for learning in Belvedere, Harare

Business Reporter
A local business college, Premier Business School has scored a first by becoming the first local school to be awarded the prestigious and most sought after Platinum Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) tuition provider status by the ACCA UK board.

The school also becomes the 6th in Africa to receive such a prestigious award. The status was awarded to the school after its ACCA students achieved consecutive high pass rates since its inception in 2012.

The award is an upgrade from the Gold status recognition award that was bestowed on the school by the same board in 2013, which resulted in it becoming the first ACCA tuition provider in Zimbabwe to be presented with such a status.

The platinum award status is the highest level of accreditation offered by the ACCA UK Board for ACCA tuition providers the world over.

“Platinum approval is the highest and most prestigious level of the programme. To be a Platinum Approved Learning Partner, one has to demonstrate excellence in their course management and delivery, over and above the performance targets which they would have already demonstrated in attaining the Gold approval.

“After which, if a tuition provider demonstrates their ability to sustain excellent student pass rates over three continuous sets of results, they are awarded the Platinum status approval,” the ACCA board said.

According to the ACCA website the status is valid for three years.

During this time ACCA will conduct regular monitoring, including site visits, to ensure that all Platinum criteria, including performance targets and Platinum pass rate targets continue to be met and to identify areas where ACCA may actively support the tuition provider activities.

The status affords the holders exclusive benefits from ACCA UK that include ACCA market information packages, market information is provided biannually for the sole use of the Platinum Approved Learning Partner.

Access to the “Ask the examiner” function via the ACCA Education Hub and ACCA examination review board.

Platinum Approved Learning Partners are also given the opportunity to comment on ACCA examinations by providing written representation at ACCA’s Examination Review Board. This allows the tuition provider an opportunity to contribute significantly towards student examination success.

The approved partners are also invited to the ACCA’s biennial Learning Providers’ conference as well as well as premium listing on ACCA’s Student Planner App and Tuition Provider Directory.

Mr Prince Chikate an official at the school said to celebrate the award the school will have an open day on Saturday where it will showcase 2016 career options on offer to potential ACCA professional and A-Level students at the TelOne Centre for learning in Belvedere, Harare.

“One of the major highlights will be our new two in one A-Level plus diploma programme that Premier Business School has introduced. The first intake for this programme will be March 2016.

“Through this two in one A-Level plus Diploma Programme, we are giving students who will be studying A-Level commercials an opportunity to study for the Diploma in Accounting and business studies concurrently,” Mr Chikate said.

“By the time the student completes their A-Level they are also expected to have completed the Diploma in Accounting and Business Studies.”

“The same teaching techniques adopted for ACCA students will be implemented for the A-Level plus Diploma programme. The A-Level plus Diploma students will be given access to personalised tutorials and mentoring programs whenever the need arise for effective results.

“A conducive learning environment will be availed. This will enable students to research extensively in order to enhance their understanding of subject matters. The diploma will earn the student three exemptions for the ACCA qualification in the event that the student decides to go on and do the qualification. If after the diploma a student passes six subjects of the ACCA qualification, they will awarded a BSc Honours in Applied Accounting degree by Oxford Brookes University.”

The business school also offers an MBA, MSc Marketing, MSc Human resource management, MSc Financial Management and an MSc in Strategic planning and is also the official recruitment partner for Edinburgh Business School of Scotland.

“We are happy that we have seen an increased number of students enrolling for the master’s program over the past year as the programmes are in demand globally,” he said.