News from the School of Secretarial and Administrative Studies

ICSA Pathway workshop by Mrs Ngu, Deputy Education Director, MAICSA

The School of Secretarial and Administrative Studies organized a workshop for the DCA students, lecturers, counseling and administrative staff on Monday, 4 March 2013. It was held in the Activity Room, 1st Floor, SCPJ. Twelve DCA students, six DES students, four lecturers, one counsellor and two administrative staff attended the workshop.

Mrs Ngu, the former Head of the Secretarial School and currently the Deputy Education Director of MAICSA was invited to conduct the workshop. The objective of the workshop was to educate and to create a better awareness amongst the students and the staff on the ICSA pathway as an alternative route to the completion of the DCA programme.

Mrs Ngu started with an introduction of MAICSA as the Malaysian chapter and the countries where the ICSA examinations are offered. According to the latest statistics, there are 4,000 members, 3,000 students and 800 affiliates in Malaysia. She further added the ICSA is a professional qualification equivalent to any honours degree and that ICSA graduates can become company secretaries who are actually legal advisors to boards of directors on legal matters pertaining to companies.

As for career prospects, Mrs Ngu was very optimistic and emphasized that the prospects are very good. ICSA graduates can become Human Resource Managers, Chief Corporate Advisers, Corporate Managers, Corporate Administrators, Tax Agents, Management Consultants Company Secretaries and Chief Governance Officers.

Mrs Ngu also briefed the students on some of the main duties and responsibilities of Company Secretaries which include:

• Advising the Board and Management on Governance issues.
• Ensuring compliance of listings and related statutory obligations.
• Attending Board, Committee and General Meetings and ensuring the keeping of a proper record of minutes.
• Ensuring proper upkeeping of statutory registers and records.
• Assisting the chairman of the board in the preparation and conduct of meetings

She also pointed out that the DCA programme in Stamford College is the only programme in Malaysia where the students are given the most number of exemptions.

For ICSA graduates wishing to pursue a post-graduate qualification, Mrs Ngu said that they could do the MBA in Corporate Governance which is offered by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

Finally, she explained how the students could acquire an ICSA qualification using the DCA route which covered the following:

• The number of exemptions given on completion of the DCA programme.
• The need to pass the Business Strategies paper in order to qualify for the PDCA qualification and to proceed to the next level which is the IQS.
• How to become a member.
• When and where the ICSA examinations are held.
• Schedule of fees – membership registration and examination.

The students and staff raised a number of questions and found the workshop very informative and useful. Mrs Ngu passed some useful brochures and handouts on the Membership and Examination Fees and Schedule, Business Strategies Syllabus and Reading list as well as the ICSA pathway to the students and staff.

Refreshments were served at the end of the workshop which ended at 5 pm. The lecturers, staff and students thanked Mrs Ngu for conducting an informative and memorable workshop