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The Institute of Public Accountants has officially launched its Global Certificate of Public Accounting this week which aims to address the shortage of skilled accounting professionals.
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IPA unveils details of its ‘non-traditional’ pathway program
01 October 2024
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The new pathway program provides students with a "non-traditional route into the profession" focused on hands-on learning and real-world applications, the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has said.
The IPA said the Global Certificate of Public Accounting (GCPA) provides opportunities for individuals who choose not to pursue a university path and individuals looking for a career change to eventually meet the full membership requirements.
For existing accountants and IPA members, the program also provides opportunities to up-skill through its range of 50 micro-credential courses.
The program offers two structured pathways that allow students to earn a Global Certificate of Public Accounting.
In the first pathway, students start as an Affiliate member and progress through to associate status, leading to recognition as an accountant. They then advance to become a member and GCPA holder.
In the first part of the pathway, students start with accounting fundamentals, financial reporting and ethics. They then learn other essential areas for advancing in a professional accounting role such as managing key financial responsibilities.
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After progressing to Associate, they further build their technical and professional skills through topics such as communication, digital fluency, problem-solving, and sustainability.
The second pathway focuses on job-ready certifications and consists of micro-credential stacks that have been designed for individuals who want to build specific skills or competencies for targeted job roles.
To enter the GCPA, students must join the IPA as an Affiliate member. Affiliates are individuals beginning their journey toward an accounting career. To become an Affiliate, they must be at least 18 years old, have completed secondary education, and possess adequate English proficiency.
Students who are undertaking a pathway to reach the Associate or Member designation will be required to complete the pathway within three years. Students are also able to complete the program faster if they want to.
IPA chief executive Andrew Conway said the GCPA is a new model that will respond to the needs of the profession and the needs of employers who have been calling out for change.
The GCPA brings together more than 19,000 units of competency which have ben clustered into 50 "stackable credentials".
Conway said the IPA has pre-determined five stacks and has now launched the first stack, Sustainability and contemporary accounting, which provides essential skills needed in the profession now.
"Importantly, this provides a pathway into the profession for individuals from any other discipline," he said.
"We have carefully mapped these competency-based credentials to our membership pathways and aligned them to domestic and international standards."
Conway said the program has been developed over the past two years with expert input from around the globe including distinguished professors of accounting at universities in the US, UK, Australia and throughout Asia.
"Importantly, employers and business groups have been heavily involved in the design of these competencies through a rigorous process," he said.
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