CIMA signs new remote digital self-paced learning programme agreement with six French universities/business schools

1 March 2021, Paris – The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants® (CIMA®) recently signed the CIMA University Agreement with six French universities/business schools, which allows their students to enrol into a new remote, digital self-paced learning program, namely The CGMA Finance Leadership Program (FLP).

The CGMA Finance Leadership Program (FLP) is a new guided learning and assessment route to completing the CIMA Professional Qualification and earning the CGMA designation. With the help of real-life case simulations, it teaches a mix of finance, accounting, business, people, leadership and digital skills that will be required to build successful careers.

With traditional in-person tuition and examination methods being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and digital acceleration, this new e-learning and assessment platform provides instant on-line access for aspiring business and finance leaders to learn finance skills needed in business to the equivalence of a master’s degree level of education.

Students can start their learning journey at an appropriate entry level, building on existing education achievement, credentials and practical experience, with their employer or university able to monitor and support their students as they progress.

The partnership with the following universities/business schools:

• Université de Montpellier (MOMA)

• Université de Bourgogne (IAE Dijon)

• Université de Tours (IAE de Tours)

• EM Strasbourg Business School

• SKEMA Business School

• IAE Paris

allows their students to complete only the three Case Study exams at the operational level, management level and strategic level to obtain the CIMA Professional Qualification.

This intensive experience enhances any team’s credibility and fundamentally changes their careers. Upon completing the programme, team members earn CIMA membership at either the ACMA or FCMA level, in addition to the prestigious CGMA designation.

This initiative will also connect students and universities with the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the global accounting organisation formed by CIMA and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), and its 650,000 finance professionals worldwide.

Jakub Bejnarowicz, Regional Director for Europe at CIMA said: “The CGMA Finance Leadership Program has been launched in Europe in response to the changing world we live in and meets the growing demand to deliver business finance and accounting skills through self-paced e-learning. These six universities/business schools mentioned above were quick to recognise it and signed the CIMA University Agreement as one of the first ones not only in our region, but also in the world outside of the United States. What’s more, they are making a huge statement, not just for management accounting, but for the profession overall – particularly in France where public accounting is more broadly recognised.”

He continued: “Understanding finance is the foundation to so many careers in business and opens up career opportunities to be a successful business leader. The CGMA FLP is a practical solution which offers an opportunity for remote employees training and development, enabling at the same time almost instant knowledge check, which is extremely important from the perspective of showcasing their skills and competencies and also the needs of the employers in the times such us now. It's also a world-class online tool which in a smart and scalable way helps to raise the digital competencies of the financial professionals which during these unprecedented times gained even more importance. We believe it will help our university and business partners to become even more competitive in the market and better prepare for future challenges. That is why we are so happy that from now on, the CGMA Finance Leadership Platform is available to universities in Europe as it works towards educating future talents in the region. And from the French perspective, it allows the francophone community to access anglophone tuition readily, for the complete CIMA syllabus.”