D&B ties up with UK accountancy body

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK, and Dun and Bradstreet Information Services India Pvt Ltd (D&B) have entered into an alliance, according to which D&B will deliver courses on behalf of CIMA in India.

Addressing the media, Robert Jelly, director of education, CIMA, said, "This alliance enables us to use the corporate client base of D&B to provide CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting (CBA) course." The self-study course runs for a duration of around two years and costs approximately Rs 80,000 payable in Sterling Pounds.

D&B will offer this qualification through its strategic business unit - D&B Financial Education Solutions. It will also be accredited as a CIMA computer-based assessment centre.

At present, the course is being undertaken by around 700 people in India. CIMA is looking at expanding its reach by tying up with institutes of management and other local universities in India. "We are looking at institutes in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. The first two tie-ups are likely to be in Mumbai," Jelly said.

Meanwhile, CIMA is also dabbling with the idea of setting up an exam centre in Hyderabad. So far, it has such centres in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.