A popular course in financial services and investment banking, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), has made its debut in Calcutta.
?CFA is the highest qualification for a professional in the financial sector. We introduced this course in India in 2003. So far, the training and examinations were conducted in Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai. From Sunday, the course is also available in Calcutta,? said Debkumar Pal, regional coordinator of Becker Conviser, a US-based institute specialising in CFA training.
Becker Conviser has tied up with George Edcare (GE), the educational wing of George Telegraph Training Institution, whose infrastructure will be used to spread awareness among the city?s budding professionals about the ?elite? qualification.
?The awareness among Calcuttans in this regard is quite lamentable,? Pal said, adding that of the more than 3,000 aspirants who took the CFA test in India in 2004, hardly 150 were from the city.
Major banks in the US and other countries are bulk recruiters of CFA-qualified professionals, he told Metro. ?Within the next few years, the course will be one of the most happening things in the country, as major banking institutions will require a large number CFA-qualified persons.?
George Edcare CEO Rahul Datt said the absence of training facilities and examination centres in the city contributed to the poor percentage of Calcuttans taking the test. He is, however, confident that the Sunday launch will radically change the scenario.
The CFA examination is conducted by an agency called Thomson Prometric, on behalf of the Association for Investment Management & Research, a US-based organisation that issues the certificate.
?We held a meeting with Prometric on Saturday. In all probability, it will open an examination centre in the city so that not only training, Calcuttans can also sit for the test right here,? Pal said.
For the CFA certificate, one has to pass three online examinations. ?Aspirants can sit for either of the two examinations held in a year, in July and December. For Levels 2 and 3, one examination is held a year. It will take at least one-and-a-half years to clear the three levels,? Pal added.
A B.Com student can take the test if he/she has some work experience. For post-graduate students, no work experience is required.
