KUCHING – Undergraduate students praised a CPA Australia conference that emphasized the importance of experiential learning and speaking with confidence, saying they are now better prepared for their career.
The 165 students from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) who took part in the one-day “Creating Your Own Universe” conference had the chance to hear and learn from invited industry speakers.
Organised by the Swinburne Sarawak CPA Australia Student Charter, the speakers were CPA Australia Chief Operating Officer-Member Services Jeff Hughes, Country Head, Malaysia, Priya Terumalay, Relationship Manager-Education Edwin Wong, PwC Malaysia Senior Executive Director Jagdev Singh, Ernst & Young Director-Advisory Teo Khang Min, and Crowe Horwath Partner Kenny Chong.
They shared their knowledge and experiences through talk sessions on gaining the skills to stand out, a panel discussion as well as a mentoring session.
“This year’s conference was very engaging. It emphasized the importance of networking and there was a one-to-one mentoring session with CPA members. I strongly believe this will help to build our resume writing and networking skills, and prepare us for our career,” said accounting and finance student Kok Chen Shing.
Fellow student Sharon Tan Chui Phinsaid, “I gained detailed insights into my future career and a clearer picture of CPA Australia. I really appreciate the mentors for taking the time to patiently and carefully explain the details. I believe I am now more prepared for my career.”
“I have learnt to speak confidently in front of a huge crowd. From the sharing by the speakers, I learnt how to be more prepared for my working life,” said Jaspreet Kaur Dhillon, another accounting and finance student who was the conference’s master of ceremony.
Unimas accounting undergraduate student Mardiah binti Karajah said, “Throughout the conference I learned more about CPA Australia and got a clearer picture of what an employer wants.”
“The CPA Australia Student Charter is an accounting based club catering to the needs of the majority business students of the university. However, the club is open to all students including students from other disciplines such as engineering and ICT” said Swinburne Sarawak CPA Australia Student Charter advisor Su Sueh Ing, who was awarded the title FCPA during the conference.
The Club advisor said the Charter is managed by students and offers a variety of annual activities to help them stay active and give them the exposure to experiential learning and cultivate various soft skills to be better prepared for their working life.
“The activities range from career guidance, self-improvement in leadership and management skills, team-based constructive fun interaction activities, and community project.”
The conference was held in conjunction with CPA Australia’s 60th anniversary in Malaysia.
Swinburne Sarawak is well known for its business programs. The Australian branch university campus is the only CPA Australia tuition provider and centre in East Malaysia. Its next intake for CPA classes is in August.