Explore the Professional Skillset
Empower your teams with the Professional Skillset.
Empower your teams with the skills they need to drive your business forward.
The Professional Skillset is our new series of standalone courses designed to develop the expertise in essential areas of modern business.
No matter their role or previous experience, these courses will empower your teams with the capabilities needed to stay at the forefront of key issues.
By developing skills in crucial areas including sustainability, innovation and data analytics, we’ll keep your business ahead of the competition.
Why ICAS?
ICAS is a global professional membership organisation and business network for Chartered Accountants. Our CA qualification is internationally respected, and over 83% of FTSE organisations employ an ICAS CA.
Stay at the forefront of key issues
Our Professional Skillset courses feature content from the Skills level of our prestigious Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification.
Our future-fit syllabus was recently refreshed to keep pace with the latest advances in technology, data and sustainability.
And now, with our new Professional Skillset courses, you and your teams can gain select skills and expertise required to stay at the forefront of key issues including data analytics, innovation and sustainability.
Learning that's interactive, engaging and flexible
By taking the ICAS approach to learning, your teams benefit from engaging digital courses delivered through our Advantage platform.
Delivered in bite-sized chunks, our courses embed your employees’ understanding as they progress.
And because our online courses offer maximum flexibility, they can easily fit learning around those all-important work and personal schedules.
How the Professional Skillset empowers your team
- Equips your team with the expertise needed to stay at the forefront of key business issues.
- Enhance all departments’ capabilities, enabling them to add greater value to your business operations.
- Provide your teams with a valuable professional development opportunity.
- Counts towards CPD for current ICAS members ensuring continual professional growth.
Discover the Professional Skillset
Develop the skills and expertise needed to stay at the forefront of key issues including data analytics, innovation and sustainability.
Download the Professional Skillset flyer
Course descriptions and learning outcomes:
Data Analytics and Insights
Understand the crucial role of the data scientist in business.
What you’ll learn:
We’ll help develop a range of key analytical, problem solving and critical-thinking skills.
Your teams will learn how to identify, analyse, solve and communicate complex business problems using data-analysis techniques and modern business-intelligence tools.
Learning outcomes:
- Critically analyse business problems to identify how data analytics can contribute to solutions.
- Critically evaluate the suitability of data and prepare it for further analysis.
- Use judgement to select and apply data analytic strategies and techniques to generate insights.
- Communicate results of data analyses to stakeholders to provide actionable insights that address business problems.
Why’s it important for your organisation:
Data is the most valuable resource in the modern business environment. Your organisation’s success is tied to having teams who understand how to use that resource to enable better decision-making and generate improved outcomes.
How long will it take to study:
It will take approximately 40-50 hours to complete the course.
Who’s this for:
- Teams or individuals who want to develop their analytical, problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
- This course is of particular interest to those who work with data in their current role and want to use it more effectively.
Innovation for Growth and Transformation
Develop the practical skills and leadership mindset to help your organisation continuously innovate, transform and grow.
What you’ll learn:
We’ll teach strategies that align innovation with key business objectives.
Your teams will learn how to develop and implement business improvements, persuade stakeholders of their importance and pro-actively problem solve.
Learning outcomes:
- Analyse a market need and recommend a viable intrapreneurial venture for an identified audience.
- Develop and justify an appropriate and substantial business plan.
- Effectively construct and communicate the plan to a professional audience.
- Critically consider and evaluate on the process of working to develop an immersive intrapreneurial venture.
- Consider and respond appropriately to any ethical issues arising when developing a business plan.
Why’s it important for your organisation:
In a fast-moving business environment, organisations that aren’t innovating will quickly get left behind. Give your teams the tools and strategies needed to keep pace with the competition.
How long will it take to study:
It will take approximately 40-50 hours to complete the course.
Who’s this for:
- Teams or individuals who want to develop the practical skills and leadership mindset to produce meaningfully unique ideas that will help your business continue to innovate and grow.
Sustainability for Accountants
Develop an awareness of the environmental, social and governance impacts on organisations and their links to the broader business agenda.
What you’ll learn:
We’ll teach your teams the knowledge and skills needed to identify and evaluate changes in sustainability practices and reporting.
They’ll gain the ability to communicate about sustainability in ways that inform and influence key stakeholder groups.
Learning outcomes:
- Critically evaluate sustainability principles in the connect of an entity’s values, culture and strategy.
- Apply sustainable business practices that contribute to the achievement of desired stakeholder outcomes.
- Critically evaluate changes that affect sustainability practices and reporting.
- Effectively apply sustainability principles and practices to inform and influence stakeholders.
Why’s it important for your organisation:
Sustainability is a major and essential focus for all organisations, with consumers and investors increasingly making decisions based on the approach to ethics and the environment.
Enhancing your non-financial reporting to allow stakeholders to assess the wider value beyond financial performance will help your organisation do right by profits and the planet.
How long will it take to study:
It will take approximately 40-50 hours to complete the course.
Who’s this for:
- Teams looking to develop their awareness of environmental, social and governance impacts and upskill in sustainability.
- This course is a useful add-on for audit professionals.
Professional Skillset FAQs
Who’s it for?
- Employers seeking to develop the professional expertise of individuals and teams across the organisation.
- Employees seeking to develop professional expertise needed to stay at the forefront of key issues including data analytics, innovation and sustainability.
What are the entry requirements?
- You don’t need any prior learning to register for the Professional Skillset courses.
How long does it take?
- It will take approximately 40-50 hours to complete the course.
- The time may vary based on the student’s previous knowledge and pace of learning.
How/where is it studied?
- The Professional Skillset courses are self-directed digital courses.
- These interactive digital courses are studied on our virtual learning platform, Advantage.
Will I have access to a tutor during this course?
- The Professional Skillset courses are self-directed courses. There’s no tutor support available, however our customer support team can help with any technical queries.
What level is the course content?
- Level 11 in Scotland / Level 7 in England.
- Equivalent to the (second) Skills level of our full Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification.
How difficult is it to study?
- The study level is equivalent to what you might expect in a Masters degree.
How’s it assessed?
- There’s no formal assessment for these courses, but you’ll have the opportunity to work through quizzes to challenge yourself and consolidate your learning along the way.
Will I receive a grade at the end of the course?
- No, the course is not graded.
Will I receive a certificate for completing the course?
- Yes, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
Can I use the Professional Skillset courses to gain an exemption against the CA qualification?
- The Professional Skillset courses don’t offer an exemption against the CA qualification or lead to ICAS membership.
Will this short course count towards my annual CPD declaration?
- Yes, you can count these courses towards your CPD declaration.
- These courses provide approximately 40-50 hours of CPD.
Where is the Professional Skillset recognised?
- Recognised as CPD by employers in the UK and internationally.
- ICAS is an internationally respected awarding body.
Can it be studied from outside the UK?
- Yes, these courses are studied fully online and therefore can be studied from outside the UK.
Do I need to be an ICAS member to purchase this course?
- This course can be completed by both ICAS members and non-members.
- Courses are currently being offered to employers only and will be invoiced accordingly. We’re offering organisations and our existing ATOs the ability to purchase places on behalf of their employees.
How much does it cost?
- Please email firms@icas.com for more information.
When can it be started?
- Sustainability for Accountants – March 2025
- Data Analytics and Insights – March 2025
- Innovation for Growth and Transformation – June 2025
How long will I have access to the course?
- Employees will have access to the course for 12 months from the registration date.
- We’ll send you a login to our virtual learning platform, Advantage, to access the course.
How do I register my interest?
If you'd like to empower your teams with the Professional Skillset and would like to find out more, please email firms@icas.com to register your interest and we'll be in touch.
