Dubai - The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) has launched the internationally recognized Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification in the Gulf. The launch comes at an important time for the region which is experiencing rapid growth as a global financial center, ICAEW said in a statement on Oct. 23.
The ACA is regarded worldwide as a leading financial business qualification and members work both in practice and in business. Qualified ACA professionals work in more than 140 countries and the international relevance of the qualification opens up a huge variety of career opportunities.
Nearly 500 accountants in the Gulf region already hold the ACA and are members of the ICAEW, but this will be the first time that the qualification will be taught locally.
At the launch of the qualification in Dubai, Richard Dyson, president of the ICAEW, said "as the Gulf becomes a world leading financial center, there is an increasing demand from businesses for highly skilled accountancy professionals who are fully conversed with international practices. Following consultation with key stakeholders in the region, the ICAEW believes it can meet this need. When it comes to technical rigor, transparency, ethical grounding and ultimately producing business leaders of tomorrow, there is no qualification like the ACA."
The full ACA program will be offered in the region and there will also be a top-up program available for those with qualifications from other accountancy bodies. "There is already a large number of qualified accountants in the Gulf and the top-up program enables the ICAEW to help provide the best qualifications for future business growth in the region. We also see this as an opportunity to help support the large number of members we already have working in the Gulf," he added.
The course will be taught by Phoenix Financial Training (PFT) in Dubai and Bahrain from 2008.
David Thomasson, managing director of PFT, said: "We are extremely proud to be the first to provide ACA tuition to students in the region. The qualification is one of the most intensive and high quality courses available globally. We have always strived to provide the growing student base in the region with the best opportunities to raise the level of financial training to international standards and the ACA will further help us achieve this goal."
The ACA qualification comprises two stages - the Professional and Advanced Stage. The former consists of introductory modules on the core concepts of accountancy and application modules which demonstrate the practical use of this knowledge. The Advanced Stage includes two technical papers and a rigorous case study.
© Arab News 2007
