Course Outline
This is a self-paced online course. Learners can register at any time and have 12 months to complete the course.
THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC PRACTICE HAS ARRIVED.
Today, existing jobs are being redefined and new ones created as accounting firms seek to create greater efficiencies of production and better value of service. Accountants need a broad range of skills to succeed, with more emphasis on proficiency in personal leadership, communication and technology than every before.
The PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT takes on responsibility for job budgets and workflow. They strive for stronger engagement with clients. They look for opportunities to develop their communication skills. They collaborate with colleagues and know how to work closely with their manager to achieve targets. Finally, they take control of their time and adopt a proactive approach to professional development.
What’s the course all about?
The PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT self-paced eLearning course is designed to accelerate the process of developing the communication, workflow and organisational skills necessary for success in a technology-driven and client-focused environment.
We’ll show your accountants how to really take control of their time, their clients and their workflow – to develop core skills of effective communication, workflow management, client relationship management, team collaboration and personal time and task management.
How does it work?
The PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT course consists of 16 modules with clear learning objectives. Content includes presentations, workbooks, support materials and assessment tasks. Most importantly, learners develop their own professional development pathway using our SMART action planning template.
The course is available anywhere, anytime through our eLearning portal. Visit www.hightechsofttouch.matrixlms.com
Who’s it for?
This course is suitable for any accountant in public practice who wants to develop their personal leadership, communication and organisational skills. Learners range from new graduates to accountants who have completed their CA or CPA qualifications.
If you’re interested this course, you may also be interested in The Proactive Manager course, designed for managers and partners wishing to develop their skills in relation to workflow management, client relationship management, team management and business development.
Course Content
A. Job budgeting and workflow management
- How to understand service agreements and scope of work
- Develop and implement your job budgets
- Principles of effective WIP management
- Key workflow issues and solutions
B. Client Engagement and Communication
- Develop your personal client service charter
- Keys to effective written communication with clients
- Use active listening to understand client needs
- Beyond the numbers –from historical analysis to future focus
C. Team engagement and support
- What collaboration and team engagement is all about
- How to work effectively with administrative staff
- Keys to managing the relationship with your manager
- Keys to effective team meetings and projects
D. Productivity and Professional Development
- How to be really productive (it’s not just about chargeable work)
- Keys to getting things done in a timely and effective way
- Develop your SMART action list for personal growth
- How to stay on track with your professional development
CPD – Each module is worth 2 CPD hours.
Course Structure
- Learners can complete courses at a place that suits them, within and outside work hours
- Each learner will have a dedicated login to give them personal access to their course
- Module material includes online presentations, workbooks, PowerPoint Slides, templates, scripts and articles
- All modules also incorporate formal qualitative assessment tasks that encourage learners to develop practical actions demonstrating understanding of the concepts
- All assessment tasks are scored, with directed feedback to learners on their response
- As the learner progresses, they develop their personal SMART action list to drive change
- Managers are able to see at a glance how their staff are progressing
- All learners have access to course content for 12 months following their enrolment
Learning Process
Our self-paced eLearning courses follow a 4-step process in relation to learning objectives:
Understand
→
Evaluate
→
Implement
→
Review
All modules are structured with specific learning objectives and assessment tasks. Learners are expected to demonstrate that they understand learning objectives and can apply concepts through completion of the assessment tasks. A SMART action planning template is used to consolidate specific actions and to ensure that a timeframe for completion is established and followed. Regular review of progress is ensured through commitment to completing the course.
Preview
Learner Feedback
When I first enrolled in this course, I was sceptical, after all what could I learn after already working in public practice for 4 years? I was wrong - this is the most beneficial course I have completed since deciding that I wanted to be an accountant (even more so than my degree or CPA)! It teaches you so many of the basic skills required to operate as efficiently as possible and encourages you to think in new ways and approach difficult situations from a new angle. I would highly recommend this course to any accountant in public practice.
Laura Beattie
Learner Feedback
This course is simply great! The presentation and slides were straightforward for us to understand. The course has highlighted things that are important for accountants in adding value to clients, to our firm and to ourselves. As an accountant who's been in the industry for 5 years, I learned quite a lot from this course. I can easily see how beneficial this course would also be for those who have just started their career.
Ian Feng
Learner Feedback
Thank you for a great course, I really enjoyed the whole thing. Thank you for being prompt with your marking and getting back to me when I had questions and requests. I really enjoyed developing the SMART actions. These helped me stay focus and relate the course back to what I was doing at work. I also learnt a lot in the business analysing modules and thought this gave me some great goals to work towards. I also came away with some useful tips to help me be more productive which is great. The course helped me get better with time budgets and effectively managing job turnaround. Lastly, I thought the introduction to the course and the future accountant was great!
Chanel Flyger
Learner Feedback
I have really enjoyed this course, particularly the layout and content. It has been very easy to navigate and the content has been engaging. Overall a great course and I will be exploring the other courses available.
Emily Sinderberry
Learner Feedback
Fantastic course Dale, you focused on the soft skills which many of us would have simply brushed off as unimportant or "core" to the necessary skill sets / job scope of a traditional accountant. As we gravitate further away from traditional roles, this course has helped me profoundly in identifying possible futures and opportunities in this role
Benjamin Bridgeman
Learner Feedback
Has helped a lot with my workflow management and planning -Made me think about my role in different ways and that I can help improve the firm but suggesting operational improvements rather than just me improve my productivity. -Made me consider the client more and what they expect from me and the firm. - Overall I enjoyed the corse and have definitely come away with some tools that I will continue to use in the future both in my career and everyday life.
Rachael Rakatau