Share

Aberdeen Business School’s unique new course offers prospective students a clear future

A professional accountancy qualification should almost guarantee a highly lucrative and successful career. However, industries have been hit hard in the recession (Higher Education Careers Services Unit) and young individuals wishing to join the blue-chip profession that is accountancy need to consider their career options carefully. Indeed ‘There is no such thing as a career path. It’s crazy paving and you have to lay it yourself’ (Skills for Graduates in the 21st Century).

Despite evidence that confirms that professions in general are important to the UK’s economy and society and that there is a strong case for government and the professions to do more to ensure fair access for all (The Panel on Fair Access to the Professions) educational challenges have never been greater. Record numbers of UK based students have been applying for a shrinking number of university places, whilst students fees are set to rise significantly in 2012 from £3,000 per annum, to a maximum of £9,000 in England. Bright and able young people would be sensible to consider non-traditional ways of gaining their education to minimise debt. Indeed ‘the level of fee increase....may have a significant disincentive effect on youngsters going to university’ (Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes).

Employers will also need to cast their net wider to ensure that they do not restrict their access to an untapped population of capable students.

Interestingly, unlike many other professional accounting bodies around the world, access to training for the UK based bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA),the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales(ICAEW) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), is not restricted to graduates. School leaver options are available for many of the UK based professional bodies, either directly or through access programmes such as that of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT). Which raises an important question - will a university degree provide today’s young people the best return from their future career?

Recent educational developments have illustrated how professional accountancy bodies and universities can work in collaboration to harness the benefits of a university degree and a professional qualification. This combined qualification can be further augmented with work experience providing the perfect foundation from which a young individual can launch a rewarding and lucrative career. Today, many of the Big 4 accountancy firms have launched school leaver routes with highly regarded universities where students will combine their academic studies with some professional accountancy examinations. (Professor Elizabeth Gammie, Head of Department of Accounting, Aberdeen Business School) CIMA and Robert Gordon University (RGU) have responded to this challenge by developing a new collaborative relationship which offers a unique educational provision whereby students can gain the award of BA Accounting (with CIMA Advanced Diploma). CIMA and RGU have, however, further extended the goal posts as this provision will be available online, widening access to the global community irrespective of location. By combining the highly acclaimed multimedia approach of the CIMAstudy.com material with the instructor-led guidance of RGU, this unique provision combines the ultimate delivery format to the technologically savvy young person of today and equally high levels of convenience, flexibility, accessibility and connectivity.

The newly created BA Accounting (with CIMA Advanced Diploma) provides students with the opportunity to study all of the CIMA papers at certificate and management level in a highly supported and structured manner utilising the CIMA study.com material. Successful completion of the CIMA examinations will lead to the award of the CIMA Advanced Diploma. This activity is combined with RGU modules and assessment leading to a Bachelor degree in Accounting. It is anticipated that students will be able to combine their studies whilst undertaking some relevant work experience. Therefore students may either fund themselves or could be sponsored by an employer through the programme. The degree takes three years to complete for fast-track students, but there is also a slower track opportunity for students to spread their professional body and academic study over a time frame of up to six years, and there is an expectation that students may interchange between the different routes depending on their availability for study. For students who currently hold the CIMA Advanced Diploma but want to enhance their CV, a one year top up degree will be available.

One of the criticisms of distance learning provisions is student isolation, resulting in potentially high drop- out rates; however the supported distance learning philosophy of the team at Robert Gordon University combats this notion by replicating the class room experience irrespective of geographical location. Robert Gordon University has developed considerable expertise in this market through extensive delivery of distance learning Masters and MBA courses, utilising online tools like synchronous and asynchronous virtual tutorials and discussion forums, group exercises to promote group learning and develop team working and networking skills, web seminars, pod casts and quizzes to foster engagement with the material.

This educational provision provides students and employers with a viable alternative to either the CIMA school leaver route with no enhanced degree provision or the traditional degree followed by CIMA study. Both Robert Gordon University and CIMA are of the view that this provision meets the current educational challenges head on and will pave the way for a new type of education where employability, accessibility and flexibility are key.

This is an exciting and unique innovation which provides students with the opportunity to concurrently complete the certificate and management stages of their CIMA programme and obtain a BA degree from the top modern university in the UK (Guardian and Times league tables) and the Scottish University of the year in 2011 (Times). Robert Gordon University prides itself on being the professional university, which complements and aligns with the business orientation of CIMA and it is envisaged that graduates of this combined programme will be well rounded, confident, highly employable graduates who progress to successful professional careers. (Eileen Roddy, Head of Relationship Framework, CIMA.)

This article has been viewed 464 times.