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An interview with Dr Arsalan Iqbal

Cambridge Management and Leadership School

Posted: 4th May 2020 12:47

Founded in 2017, Cambridge Management and Leadership School is an innovative academic institution specialising in the fields of business management and leadership. Based in Cambridge, the school offers both an interesting, rigorous curriculum for campus-based students, and industry-leading online distance learning for those based around the world. Courses range from pre-university education to postgraduate qualifications, and all boast full accreditation from professional educational bodies. Eager to know more about their lifelong, internationally recognised qualifications, and the award-winning support that is offered to students around the globe, iStudy spoke to the school’s director, Dr Arsalan Iqbal.

Can you talk us through the student experience at Cambridge Management and Leadership School?

Cambridge Management and Leadership School is built on the successes of our students, and they are our biggest strength. They allow us to develop, grow, and provide a competitive edge in the education sector. We therefore incorporate their views, feedback and experiences into the process of qualification development, delivery and award. Even after graduation, we carry out surveys and interviews to improve the overall student experience, and consider our students lifetime members of the institute. We provide them with career-related services such as coaching, mentoring and counselling, so that they can assess their strengths, weaknesses and future opportunities.

We help those students with special educational needs and disabilities by providing reasonable adjustments, so that they don’t experience any substantial disadvantages. Students can also access welfare and wellbeing services from the student welfare officer; all of these things help to ensure that they can effectively complete their courses. They get National Union of Students (NUS) discount cards on behalf of the school, we have state-of-the-art on-campus accommodation, and our international students are offered free airport pick up and drop off. Our students feel very happy and satisfied throughout the study cycle, which starts prior to admission and continues with membership benefits well after the completion of their qualifications.

How does your faculty make sure that students receive the utmost guidance and support?

Our experienced faculty are highly qualified, and alongside holding first-class teaching qualifications, they are competent to doctorate level. Staff members always discuss the course requirements and learning plans with the student, and at the start of the course they identify their strengths and weaknesses. Using carefully developed coaching tools, they then work towards the improvement of these soft skills. Students consistently receive constructive feedback in their draft assignments, and work towards the improvement of their portfolio

Faculty performance is overseen by the principal, who analyses student progress and the professional development of staff regularly. Principal-led meetings are focused on ensuring that teaching staff provide students with the best learning experience possible. This is one of the reasons why our students have 100% success rates in their professional development courses, undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.

How does your curriculum ensure the best education?

Our curriculum is carefully and thoroughly designed by experts and industry professionals. We carry out comprehensive market research, by taking into account the views of students, teachers, assessors, employers and sector skills councils (SSCs). Qualifications are mapped to the specific SSCs’ National Occupational Standards (NOS) – which define the gold standard in the education sector – before approval is given from the regulator. Our curricula are externally quality assured and our awards are given from independent bodies. Therefore, learners on our courses are confident that they have secured recognised lifetime achievements.

Our curriculum of regulated courses and our professional development programmes prepare learners for employment, and contribute to growth in all areas. They also help them to enter into employment after a period of absence, provide job progression into senior management positions in both the public and private sector, and give them a cost-effective and efficient opportunity to complete a BA (Hons) top-up degree, with further options for MBA top-up degrees at the dissertation stage.

Can you tell us more about how students can benefit from the institution’s relationships with leading businesses and organisations?

At Cambridge Management and Leadership School, we have established relationships with various employers, from specialist associations to leading businesses. For those students on our campus-based courses, we organise trips to UK and European businesses. This allows students to observe and experience what they have study been studying with us; these trips are organised to raise awareness of the operations of real-life businesses.

We also assist with academic referencing for our partner educational institutes, and help with student applications so that they are guaranteed acceptance onto BA (Hons) Business Management (top-up degree) after completing the Level 5 Diploma in Business Management. They are also guaranteed places on MBA top-up degrees after completing our Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership.

Public and private sector SMEs and large organisations regularly contact the school to seek employment references for past students, and we are happy to provide them. Our alumni now work in top business sectors, such as oil and gas, engineering, education, manufacturing, finance and legal, as senior managers and even directors.

What are the advantages of studying online with Cambridge Management and Leadership School?

Learners can access our online learning platform from anywhere in the world, and it offers features such as learning materials, assessment guides, more than 50 elibraries, study support and guidance, live chat support 24/7, and professional networking through groups and forums to encourage intercultural learning. Students are not isolated and don’t study alone; they are part of a professional network of a mixed group of learners, and experienced faculty members continuously offer support.

Our learners can study in a way that is suitable for them, and we are flexible to accommodate their personal and professional lives. As such, they can complete a course in three, six or even 36 months. Our online students are also lifetime members, and achieve the same certification and transcript at the end of the course as on-campus students.

What else do you believe makes Cambridge Management and Leadership School stand out?

Our pre-sessional, undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications follow the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and European Qualifications Framework (EQF), and are quality assured by accreditation bodies. We also have experienced faculty, interactive learning platforms, extraordinary on-campus learning and teaching strategies, career-related guidance, and strict entry requirements to allow eligible learners onto our courses. On-campus students can stay in Cambridge city, in campus-based accommodation or in a convenient location nearby. They have access to all local facilities, such as supermarkets, public transport, cafés, international food superstores, public libraries, gyms, banks, businesses and attractions.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We would like to invite learners from the UK and beyond to join our online and on-campus courses. We offer a flexible approach to learning, and can even accommodate those in corporate and public sector organisations; these employees can join our short, summer or professional development courses at the Cambridge campus. We also have scholarships and discounts for eligible learners. Being part of Cambridge Management and Leadership School will be a completely life changing experience.

Contact us at info@cmls.org.uk or call us at 01223 655697, and speak to our friendly support team.

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