Top 10 Reasons to study for the ACCA

1. Cost-effective

A cost effective and efficient way to increase knowledge and professionalism. Candidates not only gain specialist knowledge in finance and accounting, but also acquire valuable skills in organisational management and strategy. It therefore increases the career prospects of the employee and reduces the training costs of the employer.

2. Comprehensive

Comprehensively covers the technical and management skills accountants are expected to master. Refined for 2007, the ACCA Qualification will help achieve the range of competences required in a finance team. The ACCA syllabus is a comprehensive program in financial management skills.

The ACCA Qualification takes the candidate to advanced levels in a variety of subjects such as:
* Management Decision Making
* Financial Reporting
* Financial Strategies.

The ACCA Qualification is not just theory - the exams are practical case studies.

3. Effective in finding business solutions

Organisations benefit from having accountancy professionals who understand the financial needs of business and who can evaluate and present effective business solutions.

The qualification equips finance professionals with knowledge and skills which are diverse yet dynamic - the curriculum includes tax, audit and business law as well as the core accountancy subjects.

4. Measure of competence

The ACCA combines the benefits of traditional accounting skills with a wide ranging and forward looking syllabus, which recognises that finance professionals are increasingly required to demonstrate strategic thinking, excellent communication skills, people skills and fluency with information technology.

5. Flexible

The ACCA Qualification has flexible entry requirements, and offers flexible study options, enabling studies to be planned around business needs.

6. Practical Experience

One of the requirements of the ACCA program is practical experience, because the ACCA realises that employers require an increased focus on an individual’s workplace performance.

7. Based on International standards

The Qualification is based on international accounting and auditing standards and is IFAC compliant

8. Truly Global

The ACCA is the only truly global accountancy qualification with members in 170 countries. A global program that tracks the needs of industry and employers .

9. Recognition worldwide

The ACCA has achieved strong recognition worldwide by building relationships with influential organisations including:
* local and multinational companies
* accounting bodies
* educational institutions
* governments
* entities such as the United Nations and the World Bank.

10. Professional status

Globally, employers and business partners understand and respect the qualification. ACCA members are in demand for their finance and accounting knowledge and skills worldwide.

How to Get Started?

1. Find out about the program

Make sure you know what you’re getting into as a candidate in the program and what opportunities you’ll get out of it as a Member of the ACCA once you’ve completed the program.

2. Is this the program for you?

If you are planning to advance your career, this could be the right step.

* Review the program entrance requirements
* Find out about Practical Experience requirement
* Learn about the jobs that benefit from the experience that comes with the ACCA

3. Sign up

You’ve decided to enter the ACCA Program. Now what?

* Review the fees: Confirm that you’re ready to pay the one-time programme registration fee.
* Learn more about scheduling: Find out how long it will take and when you should sign up
* Request an ACCA registration form or alternatively register on line
* Gather all necessary documents for registration
* Post them to the ACCA Office in Glasgow

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ACCA PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT

ACCA’s practical experience requirements are vital parts of the CAT and ACCA Qualification. They provide frameworks that support sustainable improvements in workplace performance and create more motivated and valuable employees.

As an employer of ACCA trainees, you play a vital role in ensuring trainees gain appropriate work experience and in supporting the relationship between trainees and their workplace mentors.

By supporting ACCA trainees in achieving the PER (Practical Experience Requirement), you are sending out a clear message that your organisation is committed to employees’ development. And workplace mentors – those who oversee trainees’ achievements of ACCA performance objectives – can also gain job satisfaction from seeing their mentees’ performance improve.

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT - ACCA QUALIFICATION 

To achieve ACCA membership a trainee has to complete the ACCA exams, the Professional Ethics module and the PER, which includes:

• completing three years’ employment in an accounting or finance-related role(s)
• achieving 13 predefined performance objectives to the satisfaction of a workplace mentor
• recording and reporting their PER progress through an online system.

If you are an ACCA Approved Employer – trainee development stream at gold or platinum level, you may give permission to your trainees to be exempted from completing the challenge questions associated with each of our Performance Objectives. This is at your discretion, as some employers prefer their trainees to have the discipline of completing the challenge questions. The trainees will still be required to use our online system, My Experience, to notify us of their progress towards achieving 36 months in a relevant role. To find out how to become an Approved Employer, please click on the related link at the top left hand corner of this page.

FOUNDATIONS IN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT (FPER) - CAT QUALIFICATION (PART OF THE FOUNDATIONS IN ACCOUNTANCY SUITE OF AWARDS)

To become a Certified Accounting Technician, a trainee must complete the CAT accountancy exams, the Foundations in Professionalism module and obtain at least one year’s supervised work experience.

Trainees who register for CAT from January 2011 onwards must complete Foundations in practical experience requirements (FPER). Trainees who registered for CAT before the end of 2010 can submit a Trainee Training Record (TTR) instead up to and including the 31 December 2011, or they may choose to complete the new FPER. After that date, only the FPER will be accepted.

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PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

Becoming an ACCA-qualified accountant does not just involve passing your exams and the professional ethics module, you also need to complete our Practical Experience Requirement (PER). It is not just accountants who must gain relevant practical experience, many other professions, such as doctors and lawyers, also have to gain experience to show that they are fit to practise.

You can gain your practical experience before, during or after you complete the exams.

WHAT IS PER?

PER provides a structure for you to follow by setting you a range of performance objectives. The performance objectives ensure you gain the experience to demonstrate that you have the abilities required to become a member.

Completing the performance objectives will allow you to:

• apply in practice the knowledge and techniques gained through your studies towards the ACCA exams
• observe and be involved in real-life work situations that help you to develop the skills, attitudes and behaviours you will need as a qualified accountant 
• develop your judgement, encouraging you to reflect on the quality of your work and how you may improve your work performance in the future.

The performance objectives are closely linked to the exam syllabus and we recommend that you co-ordinate your study and achieving our practical experience requirement to gain the most from both.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

To begin achieving your PER, you need to be working in an accounting or finance-related role. You will need to:

• complete 36 months’ employment in an accounting or finance-related role(s)
• find a workplace mentor
• achieve 13 performance objectives
• record your progress using the online My Experience record

Click on the links on the right to find out more about achieving your PER.

If you think the opportunities to achieve your PER in your current role are limited, consider other options available to you before you choose to find alternative employment. Aim to get your employer's support to help you gain your PER; consider work shadowing, secondment or an internship; and work closely with your workplace mentor.

WHAT IF I AM A FULL TIME STUDENT?

If you are a full-time student or you are not working in a relevant role, please let us know this by updating your My Experience record to reflect your employment status. You should also start thinking about what steps you will need to take in the future to gain the practical experience you need in order to become a member.

For more information on the Practical Experience Requirement, read our PER guide, available from the Related Documents section below. This guide explains all you need to know about the Practical Experience Requirements in detail.

WHAT IF I WORK FULL TIME?

If you work full-time and your employer is committed to providing learning and development opportunities for their ACCA trainees, then they might be eligible to join ACCA’s Approved Employer programme. The Approved Employer programme – trainee development, formally recognises employers’ high standards of staff training and development by awarding them with Approved Employer status.

Gaining Approved Employer status has several benefits for your employer such as enhancing their reputation as an employer of choice and helping bring talented people into the organisation.

It also has benefits for you. As an ACCA trainee you can take advantage of the performance objective exemption and fast-track through ACCA’s Practical Experience Requirement (PER).

For more information on the Approved Employer programme, click on the link under the Related Links section.

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