Who is going to make the next generation of accountants 'job ready'
Problem is that if you ask the Uni's, Govt, CA, CPA or industry separately, you'll just get the reasons it can't work and the same explanations over and over again.
• industry thought leaders questioning the value in obtaining a Uni education, based on their experience and preference of hiring using experience as the dominant criteria over grades.
• Uni leaders who conceded that there is only ‘so much’ lecturers can fit into classes - that students would need to undertake internships + extra-curriculum on top of Uni.
• industry pointing at Uni’s lack of desire to change, sighting enrolment criteria of CA ANZ and CPA - which in turn the prof bodies rejected, saying Uni’s had plenty of scope outside these requirements.
It's nobody’s fault…… but yet it’s everyone’s problem.
If each contributed their bit, ( ie looked at what they could do - glass half full stuff) and someone pieces it all together, I think you'd find we are much closer to making it happen than everyone thinks.
How about a Transaction processing Hub in Australia? Give our kids an opportunity to learn by doing, providing a foundation for higher end work rather than sending the work offshore.
It would require a joint effort; resourced by Uni students, recognized by the prof bodies , shaped and supported by Industry and allowed to exist under a Govt training initiative, rather than as a strictly commercial enterprise.
Would it be easy ? No
Would it be worth doing?
Uni's would have to integrate performance in the 'processing hub' with exam results and assessment tasks. (Like nurses prac)
CPA CA IPA would need to help lobby the Govt so it was allowed to exist under a Govt training initiative, + make it a pre-req for admission into body (also forcing Uni's to participate).
Govt would have to come up with a training entity and manage it financially.
Industry would need to support it. We could use it in much the same way as current offshoring - pay the Govt training entity, the equivalent rate, then mentor and manage their 'hub' people.
Junior - (1st years) could start doing data entry. 2nd years could 'handover' to 1st years, then move up the information tree and do checks + reconciliation work. 3rd years could be the ‘go between person’, between industry and the ‘hub’. They would learn communication skills, get a skills foundation and even soft people management skills.
It might not be a perfect plan, but it's better than no plan.
