In today's fast-paced and dynamic job market, employability and professional excellence are crucial aspects of career development. Recognising this, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has embarked on a ground-breaking initiative for Asia Pacific in 2023, dedicated to enhancing employability by connecting successful, experience professional accountants with aspiring future talents. The initiative not only fosters career growth but also aligns perfectly with ACCA's mission to uphold excellence and drive positive change in the accountancy profession worldwide.
Mr. Steve Lee, ACCA’s Head of Employer Relations and Market Development, Asia Pacific, emphasised, "ACCA takes employability seriously, and it's a cornerstone of the work we do to support our members and students worldwide. We partner with thousands of employers around the world to help them hire the talent they need, and through our qualifications and training, we help them build their finance capability and upskill their teams. Such widespread industry partnerships have allowed many ACCA professional accountants to enjoy meaningful, lasting careers as well as global work experiences."
The initiative, titled ACCA Employability Tour 2023, has witnessed active participation from ACCA professionals working in Big 4 firms, banking, shared services, and other sectors. Each session is designed to be both engaging and informative. The programme always begins with a fun quiz on accounting and finance knowledge, followed by talks on ACCA and the accountancy profession, which precede the guest speaker segments.
With more than 1,600 participants registered to date, the initiative has been met with a high volume of interest. The web sessions, lasting 1.5 hours each, are not only free but also fun, all while providing the young participants with valuable insights and networking opportunities.
Significant progress has been made across Asia Pacific so far. In the Philippines, a US-based ACCA member led students on a session about sustainable finance professionals. And for audiences from Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, a Vietnamese member from one of the Big 4 accounting firms shared on ESG Reporting. The most recent leg covered Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal, and saw multiple ACCA members joining to address career pathways in accounting and finance and share advice with students and young professionals.
‘We believe that employability and professional excellence are paramount in today's rapidly evolving job market. ACCA's initiative in Asia Pacific for 2023, focused on connecting experienced professional accountants with aspiring talents, not only promotes career growth but also aligns with ACCA's mission to drive excellence and positive change in the global accountancy profession. Through collaboration and knowledge-sharing, we aim to empower the next generation of finance professionals to shape the future successfully." noted- Ms. Nilusha Ranasinghe, Head of South Asia, ACCA
ACCA has ambitious plans for this initiative next year, including different themes and spotlights on various growth sectors that are in need of accounting talent. They also aim to expand the initiative to more countries, including Korea and Japan, to ensure that their commitment to employability and global careers continues to benefit individuals and organisations around the world.
