By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –

THE Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in partnership with the University of Exeter Business School and Future Learn will launch a free online business course next month.
The free online business course is aimed at helping the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) to get a better understanding on how to run a business.
In a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday by ACCA, the eight week course was aimed at giving anyone the opportunity to learn the principles of business, including prospective undergraduate students, working professionals without a background in business, people looking to return to work after an absence, or anyone seeking to further their education.
And for those interested in entering the finance profession and seeking a route to ACCA membership, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) can be a starting point.
Head of ACCA Zambia Mukaba Mukaba said the MOCC gives an opportunity to individuals to get the first part of the ACCA qualification for free if one decided a career in accountancy.
“The option is there to get that first part of the ACCA qualification under your belt should you decide a career in accountancy is for you.  However, we didn’t launch the MOOC just to give people the opportunity to study our globally recognised qualification. Those who study it are under no obligation to take the examination at the end. When we say it is open to all, we don’t just mean those looking to become ACCA accountants. Our ethos has always been open access and this MOOC is testament to that thinking,” he said.
ACCA executive director Clare Minchington said the whole point of this MOOC was that it was all encompassing.
“Yes, it can be a way for someone looking to begin their journey into the finance profession with ACCA, but equally it could be useful to someone seeking to start a business to get a better understanding of what’s involved, or a parent looking to return to work with a new set of skills.
It’s not unusual today for those people already in work to look to change career, and this gives them a taster of what it might be like in a business environment. It’s open to anyone, anywhere, of any age who wants to do it,” she said.
The University of Exeter is a Russell Group university and in the top one percent of institutions globally, while Future Learn is a social learning platform based in the UK and providing free, online courses from world-class universities.