The Securities & Investment Institute (SII) is for the first time ever launching its suite of qualifications in Pakistan. The SII, the membership body for those who work in the securities and investment industry, has launched its Education Programme for the Capital Markets with the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) as part of the KSE's Education Programme for their Capital Market Participants.
Taster training sessions were made available recently, run by one of the SII's Accredited Training Providers, the College of Accounting and Management Sciences (CAMS) in Karachi. The launch follows a series of roadshows and presentations to leading broking, investment houses, banks and universities which the SII has been offering over the past month with CAMS and its other training providers, USM and IFIS.
The SII's accredited training providers in Pakistan have begun offering face-to-face training courses to the Capital Markets for the SII's Risk Management, Certificates in Securities, International Investment Management and Derivatives, Foundation programmes in Investment and Islamic Finance qualifications. These qualifications will be aimed at Broker-Dealers, Agents, Fund Managers, Bankers, Investment Bankers and Media employees. Candidates will be able to sit their examinations by computer based testing at test centres in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad where the SII's ATPs are based and receive instant results. Candidates on training courses who register for SII examinations, which are also available by self-study, will receive an SII workbook (study manual) included with their examination entry fee. Further details on training courses in Pakistan can be obtained from siiglobal.org/Pakistan or international@sii.org.uk or from the SII's London office on: +44 20 7645 0703.
Firms which have expressed interest in putting their staff through SII examinations include KSE, LSE (Lahore Stock Exchange), ISE (Islamabad Stock Exchange), Askari Bank, Bank Al-Islami, brokerage houses and some universities.
Simon Culhane FSI, Chief Executive of the SII said, "We are pleased to be working with the Karachi Stock Exchange and our training providers in Pakistan to offer SII qualifications and membership to capital market participants. The Institute now has some 40,000 members in 49 countries and in recent weeks we have signed important agreements with Regulators in neighbouring countries, including United Arab Emirates and Oman. We are very pleased to welcome Pakistan’s securities professionals into the Institute fold.”
Shehzad Chamdia, Director, KSEsaid, "We have a dearth of skilled capital market professionals in the country as a lot of people get hands on training in our markets and migrate to the developed markets. Due to lack of any structured training and qualifications mechanism Pakistan capital markets were experiencing more volatility than normal. Qualified, skilled and better trained professionals would certainly be in an improved position to handle market turbulence as we are currently deficient in formal training for traders.”
