“Your Career Advisor” is responding this week to:

• What about MBA accreditation in Egypt ?

• How can I know about salary taxes and deductions ?

• Can you help me develop my job description ?

All reasonable questions related to careers, skill development or employment related issues – sent to advisor@skill-link.com - would be addressed in this section every week.

Q1:What about MBA accreditation in Egypt ?

First I would like to highlight my personal admiration towards your site and specially the “Your Career Advisor” section, it’s very useful and I am using it a lot.

My question is concerning Training and Career development. I want to start a MBA program study and actually my choice is the MBA program offered by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport through the Advanced Management Institute (AMI). I am very interested in the schedule and materials and the payment is the most convenient comparing to other MBA programs here in Egypt.

I have a few concerns about the International Accreditation. On the web site along with the Handouts they are listing a number of memberships and cooperation agreements; I tried to reach the mentioned accreditation proofs through an internet search but unfortunately I couldn’t find their name listed within these websites as a MBA accredited school or as a member of these associations or assemblies, I am wondering if I am contacting the wrong websites. I need your advise and help how can I be sure it is an accredited program and known worldwide? Can you help me finding the contacts for these accreditations proofs. Worst case scenario I will need accreditation verification for this certain program to start studying within this program.

List of Accreditation mentioned on the Website:

AMI is also a member of the following professional societies:

1. American Assembly of Collegiate of Schools of Business (AACSB).
2. USA Council of Graduate Studies.
3. Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.
4. The American Association of MBAs.

5. The Society for the Advancement of Management (SAM).

AMI has Co-operation Agreements with the following Educational Institutes:

• Central Michigan University, Michigan, USA.

• The Euro Arab School of Management Spain

• University of London, London School of Economics (LSE), UK.

• L'Ecole Superieure Libre des Sciences Commerciales Appliquees ESLSCA (France).

• Stockholm University, Sweden
   

Another question, I am not that brilliant in mathematical studies and usage would this affect studying the MBA?

I am looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible in order to make up my mind and set up my schedule. Thanks in advance or your time and consideration.

D. H. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Ms. H.

Thank you for your nice words and compliment.

Since you decided to go for an MBA, then we will not discuss its merits, or if it is the most suitable alternative for you. With regards to your specific question, we would not be too much concerned about accreditation, your objective is to learn, broaden your knowledge and develop your skills. This is the key issue, specially if you are not pursuing an academic career, MBAs are not academic degrees like an M. Phil or a Ph.D. Accreditation was created to differentiate business schools, specially in the countries where hundreds have emerged, such as in North American and Europe. The most prestigious accreditation body in the USA is the American Assembly of Collegiate of Schools of Business (AACSB).

The Arab Academy’s AMI, stated it is a member of and not accredited by, and there is a big difference. The AACSB allows business education entities to become members (by paying a fee) to benefit from networking, information, attend events etc… that does not mean they are accredited. Even the American University in Cairo is a member of the AACSB and not accredited by it. You will find the AMI listed on the AACSB web site as a member.

As for cooperation agreements, these do not mean much, anyone can sign a cooperation agreement with the other. If you follow the Egyptian TV news, you will often see Egyptian ministers signing cooperation agreements and memorandas of understanding with their counterparts in other countries… it is just good PR. Sometimes these become more serious, like in the case of offering the other business school’s program… which at least tells you that the original European entity has enough trust in the AMI to allow it to offer joint courses and degrees.

Maths are not a fundamental aspect of MBA studies, however one has to use some of them in Finance or in statistics (used in some economics topics or marketing sampling). However this should not be a stumbling block.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck
 

Q2: How can I know about salary taxes and deductions ?

Could you explain me in details how can I calculate salary gross and net with the deductions and additions? Also, from where can I get the new edition for the Egyptian labor law English and Arabic version and also some books can help me in this issue and also for the taxes issue.

As I remember that you offered before through one of the companies in Egypt like a salary calculator could your mention the name of the company. Also, I would like to suggest why not to add a search button on your website for the pervious news and offers.

M. M. (Egypt)

Replying:

Dear Ms. M.

We have previously addressed the income tax and salary deductions issue in “Your Career Advisor”, while some changes may have taken place since then, the general theme is the same. Please click here to access our reply.

All the laws and their executive regulations are available from the government’s official press (Al Matabe’ Al Amireya), they have a retail sales outlet in the Opera Square down town and another own in Embaba on the Nile Cornishe (a few minutes by car if you drive in Giza towards the North, as if you are going to El Warraq).

For English translations, you can contact the Middle East Library for Economic Services, 6 Soliman Abdel Aziz Soliman St. - Mohandessin – Giza (tel: 3351141 ; 7606804)

We actually provide a simple online salary calculator (for deductions, net salary etc.), developed in cooperation with Giza Systems SAE. Click here to access it.

A banner advertising it, is periodically displayed on skill-link.com’s Interest Zone. We will do it more often as per your suggestion.

We hope the above was of some help to you.

Good Luck
 

Q3:Can you help me develop my job description ?

I have just been appointed as Assistant Manager – Planning & Development in an entity that offers training and skill development for bankers. The first thing my new employer has asked me to do, is develop my job description !

Planning & Development is a new department that has been established in the organization to ensure that they provide the best courses for bankers and thus indirectly improve the banking community. In the department they are supposed to ensure they have the best instructors, follow up the material taught and that it is the latest in the banking field, putting the plans for the course content etc.

Can you help me ?

S. S. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Ms. S.

The position of Assistant, is by nature a widely varying one, whether it is for the Finance Manager, Training Manager or Marketing manager. It could basically provide help and follow up on all fronts, or be responsible for a particular area within the Manager’s responsibility (for example monitoring & contacts with training suppliers).

In summary, there is no definitive or ‘best’ answer as to the job description of the Assistant Planning & Development Manager for the organization you work in.

Having said so, it may be useful to formulate a proposed job description for the Planning & Development Manager him/herself, this could form the basis of discussing what is it the Assistant Manager could be doing within that scope of work.

Planning & Development Manager

Role:

The position holder will identify the key skill development needs within the banking community and how these could be best addressed via skill development initiatives (training, seminars, workshops, distance learning, etc.) provided through the organization (in house or by third party). The findings and recommendations should be translated into an annual development plan to be reviewed and endorsed by management.

The position will have another dimension, that of identifying various sources of training and knowledge or relevance to the organization’s mission and assess (through checking references or post training delivery) their quality, adequacy and their value (compared to cost).

Key tasks performed:

• Survey banks operating in Egypt, with regards to skill development needs. Additionally, identify skill needs in light of new banking regulations and Central Bank directives (eg. Basel II, Money Laundering etc…)
• Periodically survey / collect information on what other banking institutes (and similar organizations) are offering on a regional and international level.
• Develop a periodical (eg. Semi annual) Egyptian Banking Training Needs Assessment, identifying: needs, generic training / development requirements, and proposed training / development events (content, duration, target audience, delivery method, estimated budget etc…).
• On a quarterly basis, participate in setting the training & skill development offering schedule of the Institute.
• Maintain a constantly updated database of various knowledge and skill development offerings (local and international). This would address courses, degrees, certifications, etc.. offered by training firms, banking organizations, professional associations, professional development institutes, universities etc..

• Maintain an update a register of qualified individuals who could be called on to deliver training, lectures etc..

• Ensure that at the end of each training / skill development event, a quality / feedback assessment mechanism is in place, and that the findings are collected and analyzed.
  
  We hope the above was of some use to you.
  
  Good Luck
   

Note from the editor: 
Employer names and inquiry sender names were withheld for confidentiality

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