Thursday 05 March 2015

ACCA and British Council creating the complete finance professionals of tomorrow across GCC

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) hosted a range of interactive sessions with the British Council to explore the opportunities for today’s professional accountants and how this journey can begin at school

School staff, including accounting teachers, student counsellors and principals, from across the GCC learnt more about how they can help young people on the path to becoming complete, well-rounded, finance professionals at events held by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the British Council.

Delegates at the events in Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar,  were told about ACCA’s Foundations in Accountancy suite of awards which young people can pursue while at school from the age of 15. This gives students a strong understanding of the core concepts in accountancy and will enable them to progress to the globally recognized ACCA Qualification, as well as having an opportunity to gain a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes and even an MBA.

Anis Motorwala, head of ACCA Northern Gulf, said: “In the same way that science students who might opt for careers in engineering or medicine can start preparing for their chosen profession early with their entrance exams, why shouldn't commerce students also prepare for their professional careers in accounting and finance? 

“We believe the Foundations in Accountancy qualification gives them  an excellent grounding on which to build for a career in finance which could take them to the highest levels of any organisation in any sector.

“Starting to develop students from a young age is paramount for creating complete finance professionals who are ready to take on any tasks that their future employers may give them. Those qualified with ACCA will have a multitude of skills to enable them to adapt and complete anything that is given to them. 

“The world needs finance professionals who understand how the economy works both in the country they live in, and globally. Without them, who would have helped to resolve the financial crisis?”

More than 150 schools in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were invited to the events.  

The British Council, which co-hosted these events, has worked closely with ACCA to enable students around the world to pursue the ACCA Qualification, and runs examination sessions for ACCA in many countries. 

Philip Rylah, British Council Director Examinations MENA said, `The British Council believes these qualifications from ACCA can be of great benefit to young people preparing for a career in finance. We are delighted to support ACCA in ensuring access around the Middle East.

For more information, please contact Anis Motorwala.

Notes to Editor

 1. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. 

2. We support our 170,000 members and 436,000 students in 180 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. We work through a network of 91 offices and centres and more than 8,500 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through our public interest remit, we promote appropriate regulation of accounting and conduct relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence. 

3. Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. We believe that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. Our values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and we ensure that through our qualifications, we prepare accountants for business. We seek to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating our qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers.