Predicting Intention to Pursue Islamic Financial Planner (IFP) Professional Certificate Among Islamic Business School Graduates

Abstract

This research examine the intention of the students at the Islamic Business School (IBS), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to pursue the Islamic Financial Planner (IFP) Professional Certification programme. A mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative were used to achieved the research objective. A Google Forms questionnaire was distributed to 350 undergraduate students, but 149 responses returned and valid for analysis. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Additionally, focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted with four IBS students who had completed their IFP certificate. The findings identified four significant factors, i.e., interest, self-confidence, career, and promotion, as contributing to the IBS students’ intention to pursue the IFP Certification programme.  Results of the FGD suggest that the IFP Certificate is not an important requirement for IBS students, especially when they have no intentions to pursue their careers as financial planners. However, the IFP Certification programme provides added value to IBS students as they are exposed to various kinds of knowledge related to financial planning which is beneficial for them. These findings are important as perceptions of and attitudes to the IFP Certification programme can have a significant impact on the success and continuity of the industry collaboration between IBS and the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) in providing IFP Certification training to students and industry players.