Scots ICA extends tentacles to Romania

The project funded by the World Bank will last for about 150 weeks andand is part of a number of training operations by the institute in the formerEastern bloc, Asian and African countries.

The training programme headed up by Bernard Cook, director of internationalservices at the Scottish Institute, will focus on training accountants andauditors in Western accounting and finance practices.

‘Alot of ICAS members travel overseas with work,’ said ICAS Cook. ‘The linkageswe have established in the countries where we have carried out trainingprogrammes greatly benefit our members. It is good for business and socialcontacts when you first arrive in a foreign country. They are new and small,but very useful links.’

Since 1992, the Scottish Institute has been slowly developing training coursesin accountancy and auditing standards and practices throughout Eastern Europe.The first training courses were set up in St. Petersburg.

The original project was to develop a Centre of Excellence in Accounting andFinance at the St. Petersburg Institute of Commerce and Economics (SPICE). Itssuccess resulted in a whole array of courses being taught throughout northernRussia. St. Petersburg now has its own small, but well-established accountancyinstitute with stronger links to ICAS.

ICAS courses have principally been involved with bringing existing accountantsup-to-date with Western standards.

In regard to business practices, the coursesaim to facilitate the conversion from centrally controlled economy to that of amarket economy. ICAS has held courses, professional briefings and helpedestablish accountancy institutes in the following countries; Kazakhstan,Ukraine, Hungary, China and Kenya.

AccountancyAge.com special feature – World Bank: accounting for the future

Shock tax bill threat for investors as stock exchange comes to standstill