FutureLearn and the New York Institute of Finance partner to deliver Wall Street’s online training Program in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

NYIF offers professional training in mergers and acquisitions to equip learners with the skills needed to advance in their careers.

London, UK: 03 October 2017: FutureLearn, the leading social learning platform, is announcing its partnership with the New York Institute of Finance (NYIF), a global leader in skills-based training for the investment banking industry and related financial services. The partnership will see NYIF host a set of paid-for courses that lead up to a professional certificate in mergers and acquisitions aimed at financial analysts, associates as well as directors and managers who have transitioned, or hope to transition, to mergers and acquisitions from other areas, such as equities or fixed income.

The Mergers & Acquisitions Professional Certificate Program is comprised of five courses plus an exam. The Program is part of FutureLearn’s suite of credit-bearing courses, specifically aimed at offering learners the opportunity to gain credits for degrees, MBAs and professional qualifications. The first course in the Program, Mergers and Acquisitions: Concepts and Theories, is open for enrolment now and starts this week.

The program is taught by, Jeffrey Hooke and Steve Literati, two industry-leading finance professionals with decades of experience on Wall Street. In the first course of the Program, Mergers and Acquisitions: Concepts and Theories, learners will get an intensive overview of the major aspects of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) industry including the theories and concepts that underpin mergers and acquisitions, and learn the skills involved in executing transactions, from a deal’s inception to post-merger integration.

On completion of this first course, learners will be able to:

• Identify common motivations for acquisitions and the reasons why many are unsuccessful
• Identify public companies, comparable companies, comparable acquisitions, and leverage buyout valuations
• Explore the key risks associated with the acquisition process
• Discuss the characteristics of a successful deal
• Summarise the top ten buyer motivations for M&A

Learners who complete this set of courses on the FutureLearn platform will benefit from the social learning pedagogy that underpins the design of the platform, built from over 50 years of experience of digital storytelling and distance learning. Like all courses on the platform, this will incorporate the distinctive FutureLearn storytelling techniques, guiding learners through a compelling narrative composed of videos, articles, case studies and rich media features. Learners can engage in curated conversations throughout the educational material to enhance their understanding and to allow them to learn from each other in any location or time zone.

Additional courses include Mergers and Acquisitions: Advanced Theory, starting on 23rd October, Mergers and Acquisitions: Structuring The Deal, starting on 6th November, Mergers and Acquisitions: Free Cash Flow Modeling, starting on 27th November, and Mergers and Acquisitions: Accounting Principles, starting on 4th December. Once learners complete this set of courses, they then have the option to go on to complete an examination to earn a Professional Certificate in Mergers and Acquisitions from the New York Institute of Finance, a sought after credential that leading financial services employers around the world know and trust.

Anton Theunissen, Managing Director at NYIF, said: “We are extremely pleased to offer our course on Mergers and Acquisitions to the FutureLearn community.  The New York Institute of Finance has been a leading provider of financial training since 1922 and our Professional Certificate is for ambitious, career-focused professionals who understand the value of having a complete set of real-world skills, a natural fit for FutureLearners. We look forward to working closely with FutureLearn to offer more courses in the near future to enhance the career opportunities of their learners with desk-ready skills in core areas of finance.”

Nigel Smith, Head of Content at FutureLearn, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the New York Institute of Finance as our latest US partner. They have a fantastic reputation as a global leader in training for financial services and related industries and it’s great to be able to offer that expertise to our 6 million learners through their set of courses on Mergers and Acquisitions. Many of our learners are particularly interested in courses that will enhance their professional development so we expect this set to be popular with not only those already in the financial space but also those looking to expand their professional horizons or even entrepreneurs who want to prepare for their eventual exit strategy.”

‘Mergers and Acquisitions: Concepts and Theories’ costs £39.00 + shipping to complete and is part of the ‘Mergers and Acquisitions’ Program.

Notes to Editors

Paid-for courses at FutureLearn

Whilst the majority of our courses are offered with an option to learn for free, some are only offered on a paid-for basis. These courses are designed for professionals looking to advance their careers and learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.

For further press information, please contact:

Niamh O’Grady, Head of Communications, FutureLearn, comms@futurelearn.com

About FutureLearn

Founded by The Open University in 2012, FutureLearn is a leading social learning platform, enabling online learning through conversation. With over 6.5 million people from over 200 countries across the globe – a community that is continuously growing – it offers free and paid for online courses from world-leading UK and international universities, as well as organisations such as the European Space Agency, the British Council and Cancer Research UK. FutureLearn’s course portfolio covers a wealth of areas to promote lifelong learning for a range of applications including general interest, an introduction to university studies, continuing professional development and fully online postgraduate degrees.

About New York Institute of Finance (www.nyif.com)
The New York Institute of Finance (NYIF) is a global leader in professional training for financial services and related industries. NYIF courses cover everything from investment banking, asset pricing, insurance and market structure to financial modeling, treasury operations, and accounting. The New York Institute of Finance has a faculty of industry leaders and offers a range of program delivery options, including self-study, online courses, and in-person classes. Founded by the New York Stock Exchange in 1922, NYIF has trained over 250,000 professionals online and in class, in over 120 countries. NYIF trains leading global institutions and finance professionals, some of NYIF’s US customers include the SEC, the Treasury, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and most leading worldwide banks. In 2017, NYIF launched two financial designations, the Chartered Financial Risk Engineer™ and the Chartered Investment Banking Analyst™. The Mergers & Acquisitions Professional Certificate offered on FutureLearn is a component of the Chartered Investment Banking Analyst™ professional designation. See all of NYIF’s training and qualifications here.

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