CIMA qualifies for IMC alliance

CIMA, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants has teamed up with the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) to enable its members to take the rapid entry route to qualifying as IMC Associates or Certified Management Consultants.

“Some of CIMA’s people are fully fledged consultants but have a specialism in management accounting. We have said to CIMA it would appear that what your members do makes them qualify as management consultants, so we think that your members might be eligible for either an Associate, or Certified Management Consultant’s qualification, ” said Kate Hook, executive director of the Institute of Management Consultants.

She added: “We hope that we will develop similar relationships with other institutes to benefit their members, who are acting as management consultants.”

The arrangement gives CIMA members a number of exemptions from the IMC’s qualification requirements because the institutes’ criteria are similar.

Like the IMC, CIMA expects its members to continue their professional development on a yearly basis. Its members have to prove management ability and specialist knowledge in management accounting to remain members of CIMA.

“This is actually two-thirds of what the IMC would test its members for.

So we are going to accept the CIMA criteria, and what we will do is test their members on the consultancy skills,” said Hook.

CIMA members put forward to qualify as CMCs or IMC associates will be given a discount on the assessment and interview fees. Tests will be held at CIMA’s offices.