The Academy of Business Leaders is helping to plug the skills gap and set new standards for employers seeking to recruit exceptional accounting talent in the finance industry by offering an alternative route, the Accelerated ACCA Work Study Programme.
The first cohort of the ACCA Accelerated Work Study Programme will commence in September at the new EY Connect Centre, recently revealed at EY360’s official launch. Cohorts with other internationally and locally renowned accounting firms will follow suit in October 2018.
The two-year programme, the only one of its kind locally, is based on the apprenticeship model of education, merging theory and practice to provide students with an intensive, academically demanding and applied programme that enables them to develop purposefully and refine their own comprehensive ‘toolbox’ of accounting and finance techniques. In the words of ACCA’s head of Western Europe, Abdul Goffar, the programme “will offer students a dynamic and accelerated route through to ACCA membership, giving them the vital and much in-demand financial and strategic skills a modern-day employer such as EY needs”.
This fully-fledged programme is a great opportunity for employers to take the lead and start moulding and developing their future accounting talent from day one. By placing students within the complex real world environment and ensuring that they acquire the skills necessary to apply a structured and reflective approach to both personal development and contribution to society, companies can enjoy optimised talent development and performance, and substantially reduce threats.
“We value that in the demanding world of accounting, knowledge is not enough so we have built this programme to instil confidence, experience and skill in our students,” said Katrina Grech, director of operations at the Academy of Business Leaders. “The talent shortage is becoming real and so we see value in fast tracking and adding the experiential element to our students’ education.”
The qualification is open to anyone looking to kick-start and fast-track their journey to becoming chartered certified finance professionals. Students will enjoy lectures delivered by leading industry experts. Tuition is funded by the employer, so students get to study and train for free. Individuals also earn a salary for their work placement at a partnering accounting firm. At the end of the programme, students will become ACCA qualified and secure full-time employment with their respective employers.
“We want to develop fully fledged accountants,” Ms Grech added. “Our approach is to support the students long-term through their educational journey instead of offering singular modules. We exist for the industry and it is important that in all the delivery of our programmes we are in touch with industry. By offering our students flexibility and work exposure, and by making sure that our lecturers are all leaders within their fields we live up to this standard.”