Courses for the finance professional

“I wanted to make a career in the research domain and felt that the professional analyst approach was missing in the MBA programme. That’s where a course at CBA helped me focus on advanced and practical aspects of Equity Research viz. Financial Modelling and Valuations,” said 25-year-old Desai, who works for the brokerage firm, KR Choksey, in Mumbai.

A group of IIT and IIM alumni started CBA in Mumbai two years ago. Their efforts resulted in an instructor-led training school that provides financial job-oriented, industry-focused courses. “The main goal of these courses is to enable students or professionals to enhance their core skills through practical examples and exercise. The course illustrates the fundamentals of techniques used by finance practitioners. They are designed by Research Analysts and Investment Bankers who have domain expertise,” explained
Dheeraj Vaidya, Managing Director, Corporate Bridge Academy.

CBA plans to set up a centre in Bangalore in March to offer individuals instructor-led training programmes. These offline courses are currently being offered in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi and Ahmedabad. The duration for classroom training options ranges from two months to three months on weekends, either on Saturday or Sunday. In the last six months, CBA has trained more than 1,000 students and industry practitioners on Equity Research and Investment Banking.

The online self study programme on Equity Research, Investment Banking, Private Equity, CFA and FRM has already begun in the city. The training is offered through video lectures, animated presentations, self-assessment tests and mock examinations.

While the approach is practical and cutting edge, CBA has different modes of training, besides disseminating information on its finance blog. The online training options include courses on investment banking, equity research and finance programmes for non-finance managers. “Our students are preferred by most of the brokerage houses, rating agencies and investment banks. Students who have done training with CBA have joined Fitch India, CRISIL, KR Choksey and ICICI Securities,” added Vaidya.

With the demand for such courses coming from places like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, CBA intends to offer these programmes on a Pan-India level in the next six-eight months. In its Mumbai, Pune and Delhi centres, the academy offers joint certification programmes with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Equity Research and Investment Banking. Around 80% of the programme delivery is executed through MS Excel.

Besides tapping the international market, this year, the company has laid out expansion plans within the domestic market. It is intended to have a presence in Tier II and Tier III cities through a mix of franchise-cum-partnership model. It is also planned to have a strategic tie-up with colleges for making finance courses like Equity Research, Credit Research, M&A, Private Equity as part of the graded curriculum where training will be provided by CBA through VSAT and e-learning module and classroom training.