1. The ACA Qualification
Creating leaders in Accountancy, Finance and Business
23 June 2016
Please add your name or remove the text box.
Mark Billington FCA,
Regional Director, South East Asia
BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE
icaew.com
© ICAEW 2016

2. World leader of the accountancy, finance and business profession
We provide qualifications and career support to over 145,000 chartered accountants and over 24,000 ACA students in more than 160 countries around the world.
Founded in 1880
World leader of the accountancy, finance and business profession
Headquarters at Chartered Accountants’ Hall, London
Please choose this or the next slide.

3. Arthur Cooper, Frederick Whinney, William Welch Deloitte and Sir William Peat.

4. What other roles do ACAs hold?
Chief Financial Officer
Head of Financial Reporting
Business Performance Director
Head of Business Development
Commercial Manager
Head of Finance
Mergers and Acquisition Director
Chairman
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Director of Business Development and Strategy
Business Partner
Chief of Staff
‘We are recruiting our graduates to be our management leaders of the future. The ACA is therefore a huge benefit for us. The ACA is detailed and inclusive in its scope. It covers all the main areas of training we are looking for in our senior managers of the future.’
Emphasise that ACA is suitable for any finance role from commercial finance through to management accounting, finance control to financial reporting. There are three key areas that differentiate the ACA from other finance quals
We cover everything that you could need to know as an accountant, both the backward looking (analysis and reporting skills) as well as the future focused forecasting and management accounting
The way we teach the qualification is different as it isn’t just about learning knowledge, it is about assessing your ability to apply it in the workplace – you can take your books into the written exams as it is how you apply the knowledge to the scenarios that matters, not your ability to regurgitate tax rules (for example)
All ACA students have to have an employment contract which means you have the support of your organisation to work through your studies, this also means that the organisation has committed to you and your ongoing development/career
(C) ICAEW 2012

5. Please choose this or the previous slide.
Supporting over 145,000 ICAEW Chartered Accountants in more than 160 countries
Over 24,000 students are studying the ACA globally
Working with more than 3,300 employers around the world training students for the ACA
Globally, the average salary for an ICAEW Chartered Accountant is c.US$150k
82 of FTSE 100 companies have at least one ICAEW Chartered Accountant on their board
Please choose this or the previous slide.
100% of the Best Global Green Brands employ ICAEW Chartered Accountants
97 of the world’s 100 global leading brands employ ICAEW Chartered Accountants

6. ACA training Offices Bangladesh China Cyprus Czech Republic Gibraltar
Greece
Indonesia
Kenya
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Middle East
Pakistan
Romania
Russia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Vietnam
Beijing
Brussels
Dubai
Hong Kong
Jakarta
Kuala Lumpur Shanghai
Singapore UK
Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh

7. The ACA and route to membership of ICAEW

8. ACA training – who is involved?
Employer
Training agreement
Salary and rewards
Study time
Reviews
ICAEW
Syllabus
Exams
Study support
Membership
YOU
Time
Intellect
Energy
Commitment
Change the Employer or tuition provider if you wish.
Tuition provider
Tuition
Revision
Exam practice

9. ACA TRAINING – OVERVIEW
The ACA, the ICAEW chartered accountancy qualification, provides a combination of technical knowledge, professional skills and practical experience. It equips talented individuals to perform at the highest level in accountancy, finance and business.
The ICAEW chartered accountancy qualification, the ACA, provides a combination of technical knowledge, professional skills and practical experience. It equips talented individuals to perform at the highest level in accountancy, finance and business.
Using knowledge, skills and experience allows us to show that the elements (professional development, ethics and professional scepticism, practical work experience and exams) of ACA training are not standalone. They work together intrinsically. They rely on each other and are developed together to create a chartered accountant who can perform at the highest level.
ACA training produces highly successful individuals who can:
produce technically detailed information
think strategically
analyses problems and draws on their professionalism and ICAEW resources to solve it
communicate clearly in any environment
identify and mange risks effectively
conduct themselves ethically – even when no one is watching.
We are not ‘fixing’ something about the ACA – it is fit for purpose and incredibly well received. We need our qualification to continue to work within a changing business, commercial and regulatory environment.
We have a success story and we are working to continue it…
Facts and stats
- Highest ever student intake in 2014
- Over 22,000 students worldwide
- More students training in business than ever before
- 75% of students qualify within three years or less
- 83% pass rate at the early stage exams
(Facts and stats at August 2015).
In 2014, over 22,000 students were studying for the ACA, and over 3,000 students for the ICAEW Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (ICAEW CFAB).
A record 7,326 ACA students joined us in the highest ever figure – 27% of these are from outside the UK.
10,441 new students studied for the ACA and ICAEW CFAB qualifications – a record number.
83% pass rate at the early stage exams – Certificate Level 1 January 2015 – 30 June 2015
75% first time pass rate at the final exam – Case Study 2014
Professional Level pass rate 2015 so far (at 29 July 2015) – between 78% and 92%

10. ACA training – the qualification
Professional development
Ethics and professional scepticism
The ACA qualification has four key components that you need to successfully complete in order to become a qualified ICAEW Chartered Accountant.
15 modules
Practical work experience

11. Professional development
You’ll develop your ability and performance in seven key areas:
adding value
communication
consideration
decision making
problem solving
team working
technical competence
Professional development is an essential component of the ACA qualification as it prepares you to successfully handle situations that you will encounter throughout your career. There are seven ladders, each containing seven or eight steps, each of which represents a specific skill.

12. It’s about identifying ethical dilemmas, understanding the
implications and behaving
appropriately.
You will develop ethical capabilities in three ways:
Learn
Practise
Apply
Ethics and professional scepticism
Ethics is more than just knowing the rules around confidentiality, integrity, objectivity and independence. It’s about identifying ethical dilemmas, understanding the implications and behaving appropriately. We integrate ethics throughout the ACA qualification to develop your ethical capabilities – so you’ll always know how to make the right decision, even when no one’s looking.

13. Which normally takes between three and five years.
Complete at least 450 days.
Which normally takes between
three and five years.
Your training agreement
Puts what you’re learning into practice
Practical work experience
You need to accumulate at least 450 days of practical work experience, completed as part of a training agreement with one of our authorised training employers or principals. If you are eligible for a two-year training agreement, you must complete a minimum of 300 days of work experience. Your employer or principal will support you throughout your training, making sure you develop the knowledge, skills and experience you need to become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.

14. 15 accountancy, finance and business modules over three levels.
Applying for exams
Results
Attempts
Pass marks Certificate Level – 55% Professional Level – 55% Advanced Level – 50%
The ACA equips you with in-depth knowledge across a broad range of topics in accountancy, finance and business. The 15 modules are designed to complement the practical experience you will be gaining in the workplace. So you should be able to really put your knowledge into practice.
You must pass every module – or receive credit. This ensures that once qualified, all ICAEW Chartered Accountants have a consistent level of knowledge, skills and experience, regardless of where in the world they have trained.
Exams

15. 15 accountancy, finance and business exams
There are 15 accountancy, finance and business modules over three levels.
Certificate Level
These six modules will introduce the fundamentals of accountancy, finance and business. They each have a 1.5 hour computer-based assessment which can be sat at any time. You may be eligible for credit for some modules if you have studied accounting, finance, law or business at degree level or through another professional qualification.
Professional Level
The next six modules build on the fundamentals and test your understanding and ability to use technical knowledge in real-life scenarios. Each module has a 2.5–3 hour exam, which are available to sit four times per year. These modules are flexible and can be taken in any order. The Business Planning and Business Strategy modules in particular will help you to progress to the Advanced Level.
Advanced Level
The Corporate Reporting and Strategic Business Management modules test your understanding and strategic decision making at a senior level. They present real-life scenarios, with increased complexity and wider implications from the Professional Level modules. The Case Study presents a complex business issue which challenges your ability to problem solve, identify ethical implications and provide effective solutions. The Case Study tests through contextualisation the knowledge, skills and experience you have gained to date. The Advanced Level exams are fully open book, so they replicate a real-life scenario where all the resources are at your fingertips.
The modules can be taken in any order with the exception of the Case Study which has to be attempted last. You must pass every exam (or receive credit for prior learning) – there are no options. This ensures that once qualified, all ICAEW Chartered Accountants have a consistent level of knowledge, skills and experience.

16. High pass rates Certificate Level first time pass rates (2015)
94.0%
Business and Finance
76.9%
Accounting
87.5%
Assurance
85.3%
Management Information
83.8%
Principles of Taxation
82.8%
Law
Professional Level module pass rates (2015)
between 78% and 92%
Case Study pass rates (2015)
% of passes at the final exam (Case Study) – 75.6%

17. ACA student benefits
We are here to support you every step of the way on your journey to becoming an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. We provide a wide range of fantastic resources and services to help you in your studies and
in the workplace. Here’s a taster of what we have to offer.

18. In their words…
prestige of the qualification;
moulds you to become a business leader;
key to a fruitful career;
modules are closely aligned with the work that you are doing in your daily life;
knowledge and experience to challenge accounting methods, identify client weaknesses from both a financial and a strategic business perspective, provide relevant advice and recommendations;
calibre of our people holding and training towards the ACA qualification;
due to the multi-faceted, dynamic nature of the qualification, deliver the quality service levels required by both our global and local clients;
excellent relationship we have formed with the ICAEW.
‘By speaking the right language, with the right levels of personal and soft skills intertwined, our professionals are globally mobile, with the ability to help us to achieve our aspiration to be the undisputed leaders in service provision.’
Total number: 2,2019 Deloitte Students worldwide
Intake:
2010 = 663
2011= 735
2012 = 736
2013 = 681
2014 = 687

20. Launched on 27 February 2013, Chartered Accountants Worldwide is an initiative by the leading chartered institutes to support, develop and promote the vital role that chartered accountants play throughout the global economy.
Connecting to over 615,000 chartered accountants: we promote the commitment of our global membership to the highest standards of professional and ethical practice create greater opportunities globally for those seeking to become or develop as chartered accountants.
It creates a community of hundreds of thousands of chartered accountants and students who share a commitment to the highest standards of professional and ethical practice.
Founded in Feb 2013, consists of all the bodies here and includes ISCA.

21. Founded in Feb 2013, consists of all the bodies here and includes ISCA.

22. At ICAEW, we are committed to helping talented individuals around the world develop the knowledge, skills and experience they need to perform at the highest level in accountancy, finance and business.
This is why we have a dedicated team specialising in learning and developing – experts with real passion, understanding and experience. Working in partnership with our stakeholders around the world (including employers, training providers, universities and students), we design and deliver qualifications, development programmes, professional networks and support resources.
We create exceptional opportunities for talented individuals, and help them progress by supporting their professional development throughout their careers.