Qualified approval
Despite the stalling of its main partnership talks, while CIMA's council gets its act together, the ICAEW is continuing to enter into partnerships like they are going out of fashion.
Next month sees the launch of a corporate finance qualification in partnership with the Securities & Investment Institute and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
If the manner of the launch is a yardstick, the qualification will quickly acquire the stature the institute believes it deserves.
Financial secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms will preside at the event at Lloyds of London where the institute promises an audience of industry leaders and politicians will gather.
The qualification itself, which kicks off in September 2005, comprises three stages from entry level to experienced professionals. On completion of the final stage, successful candidates will receive the advanced diploma accompanied by the CF designatory letters.
The rewards of a portable qualification are obvious for employees, and for employers the institute promises an immediate return on training investment, though it is sketchier on how this will work. Presumably it is a nod to the qualification’s focus on practical skills.
In the end, though, its success hinges on its international appeal. Corporate finance is a global business. The institute is banking that this is the global qualification the business needs.
Damian Wild is editor of Accountancy Age.