The English ICA has agreed controversial proposals for two new 'Focuses' which will replace the long-established General Practitioners Board (GPB) and Board for Chartered Accountants in Business (BCAB).
These were among number of key issues agreed by the institute’s annual council conference in Northamptonshire last week.
The development of the new Focuses and other reform plans are contained in the institute’s strategy for the start of the 21st century, and have long been dogged by controversy.
The council also managed to agree initial proposals for a new infrastructure for district societies.
In addition, the council also agreed proposals for forging closer links with trainees and proposals for developing the role of faculties.
In a statement the institute said: ‘The institute will now prepare more detailed implementation plans for a new infrastructure of district societies for discussion with them.
‘The other areas will proceed to implementation as soon as possible.’
On the conference, it commented:’Wide-ranging issues were debated openly with candour and (often) a sense of humour. The benefit to members and impact on the value of the qualification were the guiding lights.’
Institute secretary general John Collier said:’We feel much more optimistic about the future of the institute.’ He added:’We have got ourselves out of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century and are firmly into the 21st century.’
He also said:’We haven’t gone through a fundamental programme of change for a long time.’
The institute received a major blow earlier today, however, when E&Y announced it was withdrawing its trainees from its training programme and defecting to the Scots ICA.
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