Dar Al Sharia, a consultancy and advisory services unit of Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has partnered with UK-based Durham University and Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance, to offer training courses in Islamic finance.

The new courses will be offered at an affordable price and will last for between three and five days. It will initially be run in Dubai, said a DIB statement.

The courses will suit professionals working within the finance industry in particular, as well as university students hoping to work in the field of business and finance, it added.

The courses are aimed at meeting the needs of the UAE’s rapidly expanding Islamic finance industry for high-quality academic and practical training, said the DIB in its statement.

Certificates for the courses will be awarded jointly in the names of Dar Al Sharia, Durham University and Hawkamah.

Through this workshop, students will benefit from a unique curriculum that teaches simultaneously the academic and practical elements of Islamic finance, including the role of corporate governance in it. This will provide the participants a complete picture of how Islamic finance operates.

With the support of Hawkamah, the courses will be developed under the guidance of two experts - Dr. Hussain Hamed Hassan, chairman - DIB Sharia Board and the managing director of Dar Al Sharia who has been instrumental in developing the structure for several landmark Sukuk and products, and Professor Rodney Wilson of Durham University, a leading Islamic finance academic for over 25 years.

Dr Hassan said, "Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. However, authentic education on the subject is not widely and easily available."

"We are delighted to work with Durham University and Hawkamah to fill this vacuum and create what will be the benchmark in Islamic finance teaching," he noted.

"For the first time in the UAE, practitioners as well as students can benefit from a curriculum designed to teach both the academic and practical skills needed to succeed in Islamic finance," he added.

Dr Nasser Saidi, executive director of Hawkamah, said: “We are pleased to partner with Dar Al Sharia and Durham University on holding this course, as capacity building of those who are involved first hand in this industry is key to the development of the Islamic Finance Industry."

"Hawkamah strongly advocates creating awareness about corporate governance in the Islamic finance industry and is also providing solutions to the Islamic finance industry on how to bridge the corporate governance gap in the region," he stated.

Prof Wilson said, "Working with Dar Al Sharia and Hawkamah, we will set the standard in excellence for the teaching of Islamic finance, fuelling development in this fast growing sector of the UAE economy."

The first course, 'Understanding Sukuk Structures and Documentation', will run from September 12 to 14 and will be conducted by the Dar Al Sharia team.-TradeArabia News Service