11/12/2015

New SkillsFuture Earn-And-Learn Programme Leading To Advanced Diploma In Accountancy Offers Alternative Pathway For Polytechnic Graduates To Become Chartered Accountants Of Singapore

Polytechnic and ITE students are offered Enhanced Internships in the Accountancy and Financial Services sector

To develop the talent pipeline for the fast-growing Accountancy and Financial Services sector, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) will offer the SkillsFuture* Earn-and-Learn Programme for the Accountancy and Financial Services sector from August 2016.

Polytechnic graduates who participate in the SkillsFuture* Earn-and-Learn Programme for Accountancy will get to acquire work experience and professional skills while pursuing part-time further studies through a structured work-study pathway.

Polytechnic graduates who successfully complete the 18-month programme will be awarded the Advanced Diploma in Accountancy offered by Ngee Ann Polytechnic in collaboration with the Singapore Accountancy Commission (SAC). The certification offers an alternative pathway for polytechnic graduates and part-time students to become Chartered Accountants of Singapore, without first having to obtain degree qualifications. Upon completion of the Earn-and-Learn Programme, they will be eligible to enrol in the Singapore Qualification Programme (QP).

NP and SAC have jointly developed the curriculum of the Advanced Diploma in Accountancy. SAC has also provided support in engaging industry players for the SkillsFuture Earn-and-Learn Programme as well as Enhanced Internships for the Accountancy and Financial Services Sector, for which NP is the sector co-ordinator.

Currently, polytechnic graduates had to first complete an accredited accountancy degree and the Singapore QP before they could qualify to be Chartered Accountants of Singapore. Those without an accredited degree have to go through an additional Foundation Programme, before proceeding to the Singapore QP to qualify as Chartered Accountants of Singapore.

In another SkillsFuture initiative, polytechnic and ITE students will be offered Enhanced Internships in the Accountancy and Financial Services sector from 2016. Ngee Ann Polytechnic, together with the other polytechnics (Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic), and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 16 accounting companies and financial institutions to provide Enhanced Internships to their students. The MOU signing ceremony, held at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, was witnessed by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills).

The companies include Baker Tilly TFW, BDO, Citibank, DBS, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, Foo Kon Tan, HSBC, KPMG, Mazars, Nexia TS Public Accounting Corporation, OCBC, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RSM Stone Forest, Singapore Exchange and UOB.

The launch of SkillsFuture Enhanced Internships in the Accountancy and Financial Services sector marks a new milestone of collaboration between the industry partners in this sector and the polytechnics and ITE to improve the internship experiences of students through better guidance and mentorship at the workplace.

Besides undergoing longer internship stints, students can look forward to structured internships with clear learning outcomes and job scopes. They will also be matched with industry mentors who will guide them at the workplace and advise them on career growth and development opportunities in the sector. The Enhanced Internship will be rolled out in 2016 for 2,400 polytechnic and ITE students.