Inside ICAS: Top talking points from October 2023
Your Office Bearer team review their top talking points from the past month.
Your President, Deputy President and Vice President highlight some of the key ICAS issues and activities from October, including our new, flexible employer experience, increased trust in accountants, and the strength of ICAS' collective voice.
Clive’s top talking point
Traditionally there’s perhaps been a misconception that our CA-training model was a little too rigid for some employers. Those days are definitely gone.
Clive Bellingham CA, ICAS President
"By the time you read this, the most-recent intake of ICAS students will have been to their first classes, will have met their tutors and student peers, and will be getting to grips with the rigours of the CA syllabus.
They’ll also be benefitting from a range of outputs delivered by the ICAS Strategy 2030 projects.
In particular, their ICAS life will revolve around Advantage, our new ‘home for everything’ online platform, with its courses, key guidance and communications.
And it’s not just the student experience that ICAS has been busy revamping. The experience of our Authorised Training Offices (or ATOs) has also been firmly in the Strategy 2030 sights.
As ICAS CEO Bruce Cartwright highlighted in his October CA magazine column, that has meant putting flexibility and technology at the heart of the employer experience.
Traditionally there’s perhaps been a misconception that our CA-training model was a little too rigid for some employers. Those days are definitely gone.
Our new approach allows employers and students to choose bespoke routes through the syllabus, to progress at their chosen pace, to take subject-specific paths and maximise trainee CAs’ value to the business.
It also involves leveraging technology to provide improvements in everything from the ways in which ATOs register new students to the practicalities of the logbook.
A lot has been achieved so far this year, and for our students and ATOs there are more improvements to come."
Alison’s top talking point
And as the world continues to transform, reshaped by technology and pressured by environmental issues, the training, support and leadership of ICAS will grow ever-more important.
Alison Cornwell CA, ICAS Deputy President
"Trust in the accountancy profession is at its highest level since 2018. That’s according to the Global accountancy trust survey, conducted by Edelman DXI.
The survey found that Chartered Accountants and nurses are the only two professions to have seen an uplift in trust. All other financial professions saw a decline.
78% of businesses reported seeing Chartered Accountants as essential to navigating the challenges arising from economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living crisis.
83% of business leaders told the survey they believe that Chartered Accountants have the skills to navigate a new operating environment, with the same number saying CAs will play a vital role in helping businesses adapt to new challenges.
Of course, trust and ethics are at the heart of ICAS and everything it does, and they always have been (hence our strapline, ‘ethical leadership since 1854’).
They’re also at the heart of our Strategy 2030, with its purpose ‘to uphold ethics and cultivate trust’, and its vision to ‘empower trusted professionals to create a better tomorrow’.
And as the world continues to transform, reshaped by technology and pressured by environmental issues, the training, support and leadership of professional bodies like ICAS will grow ever-more important."
Karen’s top talking point
It’s a year-round process of engagement with key stakeholders at all levels…using the strength of our collective voice to promote the interests of each and every individual CA.
Karen Scholes CA, ICAS Vice President
“One crucial way ICAS provides value to you, its membership, is by speaking up on your behalf. It’s a year-round process of engagement with key stakeholders at all levels, in the UK and internationally, using the strength of our collective voice to promote the interests of each and every individual CA.
In October, ICAS expressed concerns about HMRC service levels following the Conservative party conference, where the Chancellor announced a cost-saving cut to the civil-service.
HMRC service levels is an ongoing issue that has a day-to-day impact on ICAS members and their clients. As Chris Campbell stated in his article on the issue at the time, while an ever-growing civil service may not deliver value for money for taxpayers, reducing HMRC staffing without investing in technology would result in a further reduction to the service received by our members.
Needless to say, ICAS will continue to press the UK Government and HMRC on these and related issues in the months to come.
On a more positive note, I can’t end this month’s update without mention of the recent Accounting Excellence Awards.
The ICAS practice community were well represented, with Scholes Chartered Accountants and Kennedy Accountancy bringing home national awards in the ‘Mid-Tier Firm of the Year’ and ‘New Firm of the Year’ categories. Simon Cowie CA was also named ‘Practice Leader of the Year’ in the individual awards.
Other ICAS firms who were shortlisted as finalists included VE Medical Accountant in the ‘New Firm of the Year’ category, Johnston Carmichael in the ‘Digital Transformation’ category, and de Jong Phillips in the ‘Small Firm of the Year (South of England)’ category.
Congratulations to one and all!"
What else has got us talking...
- During Black History Month UK we proudly celebrated our role as an ally organisation and highlighted the importance of creating real, permanent change.
- On National Mentoring Day we highlighted the many benefits of career mentoring and encouraged members to join the ICAS mentoring programme.
- Liam Guthrie CA shared his experiences of advocating for change at the One Young World Summit in Belfast.
- CA student Ben Binnie shared his story and how his involvement in the Grampian Area Network committee has supported his career as a young professional.
Let's keep talking
- Connect with Clive on LinkedIn.
- Connect with Alison on LinkedIn.
- Connect with Karen on LinkedIn.
