Earn as you Learn with Accounting Technicians Ireland

NPCPP – 5 November 2016

A few facts about…

Accounting Technicians Ireland

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College locations Island-wide

Offices in Belfast & Dublin

Four study options

Provide Exemptions into CAI, CPA, ACCA, CIMA, IIPA

Access to Level 7 & 8 Degrees

Years ago, young people did their articles in accountancy firms and studied in the evening to become accountants.

The Higher Level Apprenticeship in Accountancy & Finance has been running since September 2014 in the North of Ireland, the modern programme offers much more that the traditional model, with time off to go to class, college and work place mentors. Students can earn while you learn.

We partnered with Belfast Met and SRC, Newry initially. 27 apprentices and 17 employers participated in the first programme.

Those students will graduate as Accounting Technicians this Autumn.

Many will be offered the opportunity to participate in a further three-year Chartered Accountancy apprenticeship.

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Background: A Practical Path to Accountancy

In September 2015, the programme was extended across all six regional colleges in Northern Ireland.

There was an additional intake of 70 new Higher Level Apprentices in 2015 and 75 in 2016, supported by over 100 employers.

Accounting apprentices are now studying and working across Northern Ireland and in all sectors.

We have firms like Deloitte, BDO and Grant Thornton participating, among others.

The HLA will end its 3 year pilot and go mainstream in September 2018

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Programme Expansion

The Apprenticeship Council, a Department of Education & Skills Initiative, was set up to review apprenticeships in the Republic and develop recommendations and an implementation plan for new apprenticeships.

There was a call for submissions for new apprenticeships, they received a great response and Accounting Technicians Ireland’s apprenticeship in Accountancy was approved in January, subject to QQI & SOLAS validation, which we are going through now.

ATI will apply for QQI validation in early 2017 in order to recognise the programme as a Statutory National Apprenticeship.

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Programme Development in the South

Accounting Technician Praktikum

In the interim ATI is running the Accounting Technician Praktikum.

The first intake of Accounting Technician Praktikum students began in September 2016 through 5 Colleges:

Rathmines College

Blackrock Further Education Institute

Bray Institute of Further Education

Cork College of Commerce

Monaghan Institute

We have had strong interest from employers and applicants and have created 60 new jobs with 47 employers.

SOLAS Programme funding has been secured to facilitate the September 2016 start with our first cohort of Accounting Technicians ‘in training’.

Students are following the academic programme in College and gaining valuable experience in the work place supported by both college and work place mentors.

Once validation has been secured Accounting Technicians ‘in training’ will be recognised as National apprentices, and employers will be recognised as Statutory National Apprenticeship Employers.

Transitional arrangements will be in place for current Praktium students who wish to become National apprentices.

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“The success of the programme has already helped to drive a cultural shift in the perception of apprenticeships in the North, and this trend will continue when the programme takes hold here in the South.”

- Betty McLaughlin, President of the IGC.

“It’s a dual system of education which makes a worthwhile and fulfilling career in accounting accessible to a wider body of talented students, and its launch here this September is certain to result in a win-win for all concerned.”

- Betty McLaughlin, President of the IGC.

The ERSI for example predicts a 25% growth in undergraduate entrants over a 20-year period to 2030. There is a clear, increasing demand to create viable alternatives to professional and higher education without the financial stresses of student loans.

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Dual Education – Cultural shift

� Students earn a minimum hourly rate of €9.15 across a two-year work contract

� Model allows you to learn from the bottom up and develop valuable, on-the-job expertise

� More businesses are looking to the model as it breaks into new fields

� There is a countrywide demand for accounting technicians. In good times and bad – their skillsets are required

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Key Benefits to the Earn as You Lean model

Accounting Technician Graduate…€24-26K

… with 3 years’ Industry experience:

€26-30K

… with 3 years’ Practice experience:

€38-€45K

Salary Expectations 2016

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Companies

Companies

� On-the-job’ training combined with free college tuition via Monaghan Institute .

� Apprentices ‘earn as they learn’, taking home the full-time industry salary for an incoming trainee Accounting Technician.

� Large and small accountancy practices, service firms and industry and public sector employers are taking on apprentices.

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Features

A support and mentoring team to include an employer-based mentor plus ongoing support from college team

College/employer collaboration to ensure the programme and participants stays on track

Accounting Technicians support the student with a work-based learning programme, virtual classes, study support and student membership

Opportunities to progress to further study via Chartered Accountants Ireland

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Programme Fundamentals

Academic Programme

Delivery Pattern – four subjects per year for two years

Year 1 Year 21. Taxation 1. Advanced Taxation2. Financial Accounting 2. Advanced Financial Accounting3. Law & Ethics 3. Management Accounting4. Business Management 4. IAS

Study Leave – Minimum 3 weeks

Essential texts – ATI Textbooks

Candidate completes e-portfolio based on their work experience

What do participants study?

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Work Programme

Work-based Learning – ‘The Process’

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Cathriona Hallahan

Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland

is an

Accounting Technician

“I did my accounting technicians qualification more than two

decades ago and the skills it gave me are as relevant today as when

I first qualified.”

Chartered Accountancy Progression

Year 3: CAP1 – Finance & Management Accounting modules to be delivered via classroom tuition in local college

Year 4: CAP 2 – Blended Learning Delivery

Year 5: FAE – Blended Learning Delivery

ACA Qualification

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Bernard Brogan’s a Chartered Accountant!

Applicants aged 18-22 years

CAO Points

Leaving Certificate applicants must have a minimum of 300 CAO points or equivalent with a pass in English and at least one subject from Maths or Accountancy.

Other Qualifications

Those who hold other qualifications are also eligible if it is a QQI Level 5 or above.

Alternatively the CAO points and subject requirements noted above apply.

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Programme Eligibility Criteria – cont’d

Applicants aged 23 years and above

Mature applicants are also eligible, if they meet certain criteria.

Employer Discretion

In all cases individual employers have the discretion to enhance criteria beyond the minimum academic standards.

Applications meeting the entry requirements will be forwarded to employers by ATI.

Employers participating in the programme will recruit directly from this pool of applicants.

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Programme Criteria – cont’d