NEW DELHI, December 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
On November 9-11, IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) sent Jain University student, Kavya Ramesh, to represent the country at the organization's annual Student Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas, USA.
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"Every year, our Student Leadership Conference gathers over 600 students from China, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas to let them explore their career options in management accounting and help address the skills gap in accounting," says Rishi Malhotra, Academic and Student Relations Manager at IMA.
The skills gap in accounting has been a concern for many decades now. Traditional accounting curriculum has been too narrowly focused on financial accounting, particularly in audit, tax, statutory reporting, and compliance. In 2015, IMA published a report that found 90% of CFOs have a hard time finding the right talent, with deficiencies existing in both technical and nontechnical skills.
"Typically, these students come to the conference unaware that roles exist outside of public accounting firms. The exposure encourages them to seek out a well-rounded course load and prepares them for a meaningful job experience as accountants and financial managers in business later on," explains Malhotra.
IMA is the only global management accounting organization to consistently be a forerunner in delivering relevant research on the evolution of the financial professional to a business partner.
"The session on how to become a game changer by Mike Lejeune, Senior Partner at Allen Austin, a global leadership advisory, set the right tone for the three-day conference. I learned that I should be more open to accepting different opinions based on logical reasoning to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of alternative ideas," says Kavya Ramesh, a B.Com Honors Accounting and Finance student at Jain University in Bangalore.
To promote curriculum reform, IMA has a Higher Education Endorsement Program which evaluates university accounting programs that meets high educational standards. Schools recognized by IMA prepare students to enter the profession of management accounting and pursue CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) certification.
"The experience strengthened my interest to pursue a career as finance and accounting professional in business. I learned a lot from the industry experts at the conference. Now, I feel more confident about my career prospects. I wish aspiring accounting and finance students in the country can have this empowering experience as well," adds Ramesh.
This year, IMA also published its first textbook, 'Management Accounting - An Integrative Approach' in yet another effort to bridge the gap between what is taught in academia and the skills students need to be prepared for the workforce.
"IMA is keen to partner with more schools and universities in India with high-quality, up-to-date educational programs that support the changing needs of businesses. We want to help future professional management accountants accomplish their career objectives and meet the competency expectations of employers," concludes Malhotra.
About IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants):
IMA®, named 2017 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 90,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit https://imamiddleeast.org/.
Media Contact:
Janice Sevilla
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+91-900-316-2258
Communication Specialist
Institute of Management Accountants
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