Students gear for new ACCA qualification
Some 425 students from Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries undertaking examinations for qualification as accountants by ACCA - the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants - attended a meeting at the Crowne Plaza on Thursday last. The meeting was sponsored by the ACCA to bring students up to date on new requirements for persons sitting the ACCA examinations after June 2007. The meeting was conducted by ACCA UK's Training & Development Manager, Lucy Taylor and Gareth Owen - Manager Qualifications Development. Publishers BPP and Kaplan were represented by Rosauro Aala and Tom Clendon respectively.
According to Esther Le Gendre, Head - ACCA Caribbean, more than 17,000 students in the Caribbean are currently pursuing ACCA qualifications at the technical (Certified Accounting Technician or CAT ) and professional (ACCA) levels. "From June 2007", she says "the ACCA examinations have been modified to take into account evolving employer needs and the international regulatory landscape. The qualification embeds the global accounting standards set by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and has a strong focus on professional values, ethics and governance."
The ACCA team has also held meetings last week at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business with 50 tuition providers from The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Guyana, St Vincent, Grenada, Barbados, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago. The meetings focused on the enhancement of course delivery skills, features of the new qualification and examiners' comments. Similar meetings were held this week with about 40 tuition providers in Jamaica which has the second largest number of ACCA students in the Caribbean, after Trinidad and Tobago.
ACCA claims that its current professional scheme is the world's fastest growing international accounting qualification with a new student registering every eight minutes. There are currently some 4,000 qualified ACCA professionals in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean working in the 'Big Four' accounting firms as well as in the local private and public sectors.
At present, the ACCA has a joint examination scheme agreement with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago. Under this agreement, the independent institute also undertakes the registration of new students.
For further information please contact:
Esther Le Gendre, Tel: 622-3434