Islamic banking and finance industry which has already made its mark in the financial services sector is spreading its wings to cover every nook and corner of the world at a considerable pace. The concepts of encouraging investments, profit and loss sharing in a business venture, and disapproving the unfair system of interest in financial transactions, are the main pillars of Islamic finance and one would agree that these theories are acceptable to any person irrespective of race or religion. Due to the popularity of these mechanisms, even non Muslim nations are in the forefront of accommodating Islamic finance into their mainstream financial services.

Yet, the major drawback this industry is facing at present is a shortage of qualified and knowledgeable personnel who can take this sector to a higher level. In this regard, the internationally recognized Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), UK is an ideal platform for those who are keen on embarking on a lucrative career in an emerging industry.

Zeylan Edu Consultants, an accredited training provider for the CISI, has been offering courses in preparation for the IFQ examination and there are two batches of students studying in both English and Arabic at present. The next IFQ English batch is supposed to commence in mid January and registrations are now open.

With an experienced and expert panel of lecturers who have taught IFQ at local and international level, the student is bound to gain the much needed exposure to Islamic finance, thus enhancing their future career opportunities. Since some of the faculty members are in the Shari'a boards of some prominent financial institutions in the country, the value addition to the programme is noteworthy.

In addition, Zeylan also conducts soft skills programmes for the benefit of students and professionals. Recently two international trainers were brought down to conduct workshops in memory development, study skills, concentration, fast calculations, etc., and these programmes were a tremendous success with many hundreds of participants attending them. Due to the popular demand these trainers will be back in the country in the near future to conduct more workshops.

Plans are also afoot to expand Zeylan's operations to other parts of the country and conduct offshore programmes in the region. In this regard, the internationally recognized Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), UK is an ideal platform for those who are keen on embarking on a lucrative career in an emerging industry.

Zeylan Edu Consultants, an accredited training provider for the CISI, has been offering courses in preparation for the IFQ examination and there are two batches of students studying in both English and Arabic at present. The next IFQ English batch is supposed to commence in mid January and registrations are now open