UFS accreditation provides career boosting opportunity to its BCom Accounting alumni and students
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) has accredited the university’s BCom Accounting degree for admission into its mid-tier Associate General Accountants [AGAs(SA)] designation.
Global HR statistics reveal that on average, every corporate job offer attracts at least 250 CVs. Of those candidates, roughly five will get called for an interview, and only one will get the job. So it is no wonder that professionals are always looking for ways to stand out from the pack. One way to do that is to belong to a professional body. This is because professional body membership shows potential employers that you have qualified through a trusted, well-regulated, rigorous education, training and assessment process and it proves that you are serious about your career and professional development. This is why UFS BCom Accounting alumni and students should applaud the news of the institution’s recent SAICA AGA(SA) accreditation.
The accreditation, which is effective to all students who enrolled for UFS’ BCom Accounting programme from January 2015 or later, means that both alumni and current students who qualify can become AGAs(SA) if they have successfully completed a SAICA training contract or have four years’ of relevant work experience and successfully completed SAICA's Training Equivalence Assessment.
What is an AGA(SA)?
The primary role of an AGA(SA) is to enhance, drive and measure organisational value thanks to their broad, future-focused, multi-disciplinary approach to driving operational performance. As an associate member of SAICA, AGAs(SA) are required to comply with the SAICA Code of Professional Conduct and act ethically as well as undertake ongoing and relevant learning activities that contribute towards their ongoing professional competence. This is a win for both the associate member and the organisations they serve.
What does the accreditation mean for UFS?
‘To gain SAICA accreditation, higher education providers must undergo a rigorous and extensive process to ensure that their programme has the necessary resources in place to deliver a high quality programme leading to an AGA(SA) designation. These quality assurance processes are undertaken in addition to the formal regulatory accreditation requirements of the Department of Higher Education and Training, the Council on Higher Education and the South African Qualifications Authority which need to be in place before getting the SAICA stamp of approval. Having undergone the formal accreditation process, we are confident that UFS’ BCom Accounting degree is backed by the necessary resources to meet SAICA’s standards. On behalf of the institution, we congratulate the UFS team on this achievement,’ explains Robert Zwane, SAICA’s Acting Executive Director: Learning, Development and National Imperatives.
Professor Frans Prinsloo, Director of the UFS School of Accountancy, adds: ‘SAICA’s accreditation of our BCom Accounting programme reconfirms the quality of the accountancy programmes offered by the University of the Free State. Our application for this accreditation was a logical next step following the long history of the UFS’s Chartered Accountancy programme being accredited by SAICA – and which programme currently has a level 1 accreditation rating from SAICA. Moreover, this accreditation is in line with our strategy to enhance the relevance and employability of our accountancy graduates. We are looking forward to many BCom Accounting graduates from the UFS becoming AGAs (SA) in the years to come – and for them to make an impactful contribution to the economy of South Africa and beyond’.
Anyone wishing to query whether they can qualify for SAICA’s AGA(SA) designation on the back of the successful completion of this degree can contact Adri Kleinhans at ***@saica.co.za or visit SAICA’s website for further details.
SAICA Media Contact
Ms Karin Jacobsen
Project Manager: Marketing and Communications
SAICA Learning, Development and National Imperatives
Tel: 011 621 6913
Email: ***@saica.co.za
Notes to Editor
About SAICA
SAICA, South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading accounting institutes. The Institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 46 000 members and associates who are chartered accountants [CAs(SA)], as well as associate general accountants [AGAs(SA)] and accounting technicians [ATs(SA)], who hold positions as CEOs, MDs, board directors, business owners, chief financial officers, auditors and leaders in every sphere of commerce and industry, and who play a significant role in the nation’s highly dynamic business sector and economic development.
About Associate General Accountants [AGAs(SA)]
AGAs(SA) play key managerial roles within diverse sectors of the economy. Professionals who hold this qualification have successfully completed a SAICA training contract or assessment to ensure they offer a strong set of technical accounting and financial skills required to navigate today’s complex and evolving business environment.
AGAs(SA) are technically-minded accountants, who have the ability to bridge operational and strategic management functions. Their expert ability to drive accountancy and financial excellence in organisations enables them to deliver results and accelerate organisational financial performance.