Question for Dr Jeff Wooller re the Institute of Professional Managers, Australia

Hi Jeff,

I was wondering if you might be able to shed some more light on this announcement recently made in the St Clements University March 2005 Newsletter

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Institute of Professional Financial Managers News

From the President of the Institute of Professional Financial Managers Dr Jeff Wooller:-

We have added two more reciprocal organisations to our list. A complete list is being sent out to IPFM members who are up to date with their subscriptions.

Institute of Professional Managers - Australia.
The Institute of Professional Managers-Australia (IPM) is a peak Professional membership & examining body for Professional Managers. The Institute’s main objective is to support the community of professional managers by providing an environment for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, skills and experiences for furthering the level of professional competency of professional managers.

To achieve the above objective, the Institute has developed Professional development Courses of Graduate Diploma level in 16 disciplines of Professional Management for the betterment of its present and prospective members. Holders of IPM-Graduate Diploma, coupled with their experience could be eligible to apply for the title of Certified Professional Manager – Australia (CPM-Australia)

If you hold a bachelor’s degree and possess 10 years managerial experience, you may apply to become CPM-Australia. Or your organisation may be interested to act as an Affiliated Branch Office (ABO) of the Institute of Professional Managers Australia in your own country to benefit the professional managers. For any further information on membership categories, requisite qualifications, membership fee etc.
Visit www.ipm.org.au

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Can you please provide more details as to the founders and background of this organisation? Who recognises this association as a peak membership and examining body in Australia?

Cheers,

George

 

Incidentally the Institute of Professional Managers, Australia happens to share the same contact address as the West Coast Institute of Management and Technology (need to scroll down a bit).

In fact, the other address listed (Suite 2, 62-64 Ord Street) is also listed as here with the same contact name.

I wonder how interconnected the two places are?

 

Bump.

 

We were approached by IPM Australia with a view to reciprocal arrangements. The website appears to be reasonably professional. The contact is a Dr Richard Young.

Clearly you feel that it is not a credible organisation and we will therefore withdraw from the arrangement.

Before we undertake any more links in Australia we will check with you!

 

Dear Jeff,

I really have not formed an opinion about this organisation yet - indeed, I know nothing of its roots, backers except for the relationship with West Coast. I don't see how you can withdraw from a business relationship just because I asked some standard questions. What sort of due dilligence did you do before entering into the arrangement? Why would you not continue the relationship?

Cheers,

George

 

I assumed that if you were asking questions about it that you had doubts.

My due diligence was clearly defective because it had not picked up on information that was staring me in the face:

"For your information President of IPM is also the President of a Global University incorporated in Panama For further details you may visit them at www.westcoastuniversity-edu.com"

I would have said that it is very much a 'university of convenience'!

A great website but not one that I would wish to be connected with.

 

OK, but how do you define a 'university of convenience'? What makes West Coast University less of a university compared to Irish International University? Both have the same legal capacity to grant degrees (incorporated via business names legislation in jurisdictions which do not regulate the word 'university'), both (for want of a better term) are 'virtual universities' and both sit within the realm of non-traditional education, somewhere on a continuum of legitimacy and acceptability. What other information have you gleaned re IPM and WCU?

Cheers,

George

 

I would define a 'university of convenience' as one based on Panama.

I agree that prima facie they are in a similar position to IIU. However, IIU does not declare that ICEDE is an accrediting body.

Having worked closely with IIU and having seen the work done by its students I know that it is not a degree mill.

For the three years that I was the Vice Chancellor of IIU, I received only one complaint from anyone and that was about the quality of English on an email the student had received.

The IIU has a body of providers who providing the teaching and supervision. Degree mills do not need providers just printers.

I have not found out anything else about IPM except that the secretary is a Mrs S L Hancock and appears very efficient. The President is Peter J Hancock who is listed on the WCU website.

 

Dr. Wooller,

May I ask about the accreditation of Irish International University? I have been unable to find much information about the Educational Quality Accrediting Commission, which the IIU lists. The website appears to be under construction and the whois infromation lists "Bircham International University" which appears to be "less than wonderful" with little other information about EQAC available.

Also, the accreditation document for EQAC appears to be out of date - is there another more current document?

One more thing, the statements "accredition of universities is a matter that falls outside the competence of the European Union." and EQAC will grant recognition and warranty to all the institutions that meet EQAC standards, through a voluntary, non-governmental guided self-regulation that is called accreditation, under the legal authority of the European Union". To me this seems to be a contradiction, could you please explain it?

 

EQAC

In the past EQAC has had Richard J. Hoyer as a member of its staff/administration. EQAC also "accredits" Americn Coastline.

That should tell you a lot about IIU and other entities that allow EQAC to come near.

 

Organisations in the UK cannot use the term 'Commission' without official approval. I am not aware that the EQAC has received such approval.

There are no official 'accreditors' in the UK as there are in the USA. I have never found any body in the UK who actually 'accredit' anything. There are some organisations who will take money for this purpose but none of them that I know actually do anything.

All use of the word accreditation on the IIU and any other webside relating to UK serves only to try to impress the poor student who is often not in a position to know any better.

The IIU is aware of my misgivings on its website. I have just posted a lengthy document to IIU which if accepted will reduce the size of the website by two thirds and will cut out the information that is misleading students.

No doubt my comments will go down like the proverbial lead balloon.

I have had limited success in the past in that the site is no longer implying that students will get a UK qualifiction.

 

OK - one simple question ... if IIU is so good why did you not do yuor degree there? If you hadn't been VC would you have?

 

If one can afford to go to a traditional university and the courses are available then one should take that route and then you have a degree that is universally acceptable.

If you are not able to join a traditional university then I would have thought that IIU is a reasonably alternative.

The staff at IIU seem to be committed. They are allowed to take the degrees for half the normal amount and are keen to take.

I would not take a IIU degree because I do not need another degree.

 

Is this a vieled admission in a considerate forum that the IIU degree is not universally acceptable?

 

The only degrees that are universally acceptable are those listed in the Commonwealth Year Book and the USA equivalent.

IIU degrees have a value in the Far East where the employers do not seem to distinguish between recognised and unrecognised degrees.

Perhaps the problem in Malaysia is that the official universities have been encouraged to teach in Malay. Unfortunately this produces graduates who cannot speak English and who have a degree of zero value. IIU teaches in English and produces degrees that allow the holders to get jobs.