THE Jamaica Institute of Financial Services’ (JIFS) Executive Director Darlene Jones has signed another agreement with the Bangor Business School of Bangor University in Wales in the United Kingdom to deliver its Chartered Banker MBA (CBMBA) programme in Jamaica.

JIFS, which serves as the training arm of the Jamaica Bankers’ Association (JBA), delivers international training opportunities to local and regional professionals. The Chartered Banker MBA (CBMBA) programme is said to have exposed many local professionals over the past eight years to internationally-rated banking programmes.

Dr Rickert Allen, chairman of JIFS, who witnessed the signing, expressed confidence in this renewed commitment to the continuous development of the financial services sector.

“This provides further opportunity to support the learning and development agenda of the financial services in this age of digital technology which is transforming the landscape,”he said via release.

The agreement was signed at the 23rd World Conference of Banking Institutes, which was held at the Guildhall in London from September 16-17. The signing ceremony provided an opportunity for financial training institutes all over the world to network and share best practices. Agreements were also signed with other institutions such as The Bahamas Institute of Financial Services, and the Botswana Institute of Financial Services.

Professor John Ashton, programme director for the CBMBA, said that they are delighted by the partnership.

“We are absolutely delighted to extend and deepen our relationships with Jamaica to enhance financial and banking training and executive development,” he stated.

“Uniquely the only qualification globally providing both an MBA and Chartered Banker status from the renowned Chartered Banker Institute, the dual-award qualification was developed to ‘re-professionalise banking’ internationally. The programme has over 750 students and graduates from 63 nations and consists of eight core modules and four electives; and prides itself with offering flexible, cutting edge and innovative learning for banking professionals,” the release said.

The Bangor University Business School, home of the Chartered Banker programme, is consistently ranked as one of the leading universities in Europe and in the top 25 universities in the world for research in the field of banking, the release says.

The university has been facing some financial challenges recently and announced that it would be closing its chemistry department and cutting several jobs.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported in April that the university, among the oldest in Wales, blamed financial pressures, competition and falling students numbers for the cuts.

“Up to 60 jobs were under threat after the university announced in October it had to cut £5m,” the BBC said.

“There will also be job losses in both finance and corporate services as well as in the schools of Education and Human Development, Medical Sciences, Health Sciences, and Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences,” the BBC reported.

Adding to the university’s financial issues, its Vice Chancellor John Hughes stepped down late last year after e-mails related to his personal life were sent to members of staff. A new vice chancellor, Iwan Davies, was appointed last month.