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CIPFA spotlight Apprentice
From strength to strength
Apprentices will always be central to CIPFA’s training services, writes Sarah Shreeves
Just before we finished work for 2021, we received official confirmation of some extremely welcome news.
Following a rigorous four-day inspection by Ofsted in November, CIPFA’s apprenticeship provision was graded as ‘Good’. This is a fantastic achievement, particularly as it was our first full inspection.
The report highlighted many of CIPFA’s strengths including its “very strong commitment to responsible stewardship of public money” and on the strong relationships that we build with students and their employers. Inspectors commented: “Work-based learning coaches provide good support to apprentices to help them pace their studies. Coaches liaise effectively with employers to make sure that over the course of the programme, apprentices gain broad knowledge and relevant experience, linked to what they learn.”
Ofsted’s validation of the strength of our current apprenticeship provision is certainly a cause for celebration, but we are by no means resting on any laurels. We are committed to an ongoing programme of educational development which includes the launch of a refreshed syllabus for our Professional Accountancy Qualification. The new syllabus has an updated curriculum to include content on new technology, green and sustainable finance and the important role of ethics in public sector financial management.
National Apprenticeship Week National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which falls between 7-13 February, was a great opportunity to promote and celebrate CIPFA apprenticeships, and of course, all the apprenticeships being delivered across the country by different organisations in different sectors. This year’s NAW theme is ‘build the future’, reflecting how apprenticeships are a brilliant way for people to gain the skills and knowledge they will need for a successful career in their chosen field. For younger people, they also offer the chance to gain their first experience in the world of work.
As we do every year, we will be featuring a selection of our apprentices, along with their employers, on our website over the course of the week, highlighting the work they do and their experience of learning at CIPFA.
To mark the success of our counter fraud apprenticeships and our ‘Good’ Ofsted grading, we will be attending the Counter Fraud Conference and awards ceremony at the QE11 in London on 23 February. To show our apprentices how much we value their hard work, and to say thank you for choosing CIPFA, we will be taking a few of them with us.
This year is already shaping up to be another busy but exciting year for CIPFA and our apprentices. Education and training will always be the cornerstone of our purpose, and we are looking forward to another year of quality outcomes and positive results for our current and prospective students. • Sarah Shreeves, Head of Training Services at CIPFA
Now and in the decade ahead the professional accountant as the sustainable business and finance professional in any role is the trusted professional working at the heart of sustainable business.
