Under the partnership, both parties have agreed to train a constant stream of Bumiputera chartered bankers through the Peneraju Professional Chartered Banker programme.
To date, 25 scholars have undergone training under the programme.
In addition, Yayasan Peneraju hoped to enrol 400 Bumiputera professionals for various finance and business service certification courses next year.
They include internal auditors, financial analysts, shariah practitioners and shariah auditors, among others.
Deputy special functions minister Mastura Mohd Yazid, who attended the signing ceremony, said Yayasan Peneraju was helping to ensure the country’s future workforce could meet industry needs.
“As an agency under the prime minister’s department, Yayasan Peneraju’s primary goal is to increase the quality, quantity and relevance of Bumiputera talents in the high-income economy through structured academic, technical and vocational education training (TVET), and professional, technological and specialist certification funding programmes.
“The number of Bumiputera talents certified as chartered bankers is definitely relatively low in relation to the constant growth and demand of the sector.
“There is definitely a need for more Bumiputera professionals in the financial and banking sectors to fill this gap.”
AICB chairman Azman Hashim said the collaboration offered applicants an excellent opportunity to enter the chartered banker ranks.
Upon completion, successful graduates would be able to attain a chartered banker MBA within a year through the special accelerated pathway offered by the Asia Banking School and Bangor Business School, UK.
“The signing of the MoU today signifies the strong commitment of Yayasan Peneraju and AICB to build a sustainable pipeline of Bumiputera talents with industry-ready skills and capabilities through the chartered banker programme.
“This will equip our Bumiputera talents with globally recognised professional banking qualifications and prestigious professional designations to further thrive in the ever-evolving global banking environment.”
The MoU was signed today by Yayasan Peneraju CEO Mohd Muzzammil Ismail and AICB chief executive Edward Ling. Mastura and Azman witnessed the signing ceremony.