Scottish ICA makes moves to find a partner.

As yet none of the major commercial education bodies – BPP, FTC or ATC – have been indicated as a preferred choice, but Accountancy Age understands the Scots ICA has been in discussion with all of them. The move by the Scottish body follows a decision by Ernst & Young to switch all new trainees to the Scots ICA, and a PricewaterhouseCoopers initiative to increase the number of its Scottish-trained students to around 280. Mark Alison, director of education and training at the Scots ICA, said the programme was still in the planning stages but the institute aimed to provide training for its new clients by September. Deloitte & Touche, one of the only firms without a conflict of interest in the Scottish institute’s search for students, is currently advising the body on a training structure. Several models for partnership are believed to have been developed at the Scots institute, all of which have been discussed with the three education bodies. Alison said: ‘We are unlikely to run Scots ICA-only training centres. We are more likely to work with partners. Everything is going to plan.’ The Scots ICA is said to be content with its recent success at winning new students and is not seeking to capture any more prize clients from the English ICA, which has set about regaining lost ground by launching a revised syllabus. Institutes, pages 18-19.