In December 2005, Industry & Business Skills Australia (IBSA) allocated funds to progress the research and development of some unit(s) and some qualification(s) content as a means of introducing bookkeeper-specific content into FNS04 (Financial Services Training Package). Some Industry players including bookkeepers, associations, businesses & support groups were consulted in regard to content resulting in a draft course being created. The course has been submitted to the National Project Working Group, a forum established by IBSA for the project. From here, the course will be submitted to various government, education and training bodies for review, comment and amendment. We expect that towards the end of the year, a Bookkeeping specific course will be endorsed but we do not envisage the likes of TAFE to be able to offer such courses until 2007.
The ICB encourages professional development and recommends that professional bookkeepers, whether an employee or contractor, undertake education to further ones skill and knowledge in search of improved services to clients and employers. We are very pleased with the development of this revised Cert IV being more closely aligned to educational needs of bookkeepers to business.
A Certificate IV level course is a significant formal education qualification that may suit some members of the bookkeeping community. Like other accreditations (including the existing Cert IV Financial Services qualification) this certificate may be awarded by enrolment and participation in education provided by a Registered Training Organisation or alternatively through a person being assessed for Prior Learning, again by a Registered Training Organisation. ICB will work with selected Registered Training Organisations to provide members with appropriate means to undertake this accreditation.
Once this Certificate has been approved and training organisations are able to provide the accreditation ICB would accredit recipients with either Associate Membership, for those without experience, or Membership where there is appropriate additional experience . ICB certainly sees this certificate as a road to membership of ICB and the development of some bookkeepers careers.
ICB also sees that many bookkeepers may not seek to undertake such a formal accreditation, our various methods of entry to membership recognise experience and competency achieved and attested through either ICB examinations or qualified accountants assessment of a bookkeepers skills.
(The government has not yet indicated the level of education qualification that will be required for a bookkeeper to be considered for registration as a Business Activity Statement Service Provider (BSP), nor do we yet have guidance on what a BSP is registered to do or more to the point what a Non-BSP bookkeeper is restricted from doing. ICB will keep you up to date as more information is made known)
Prepared for ICB by Russell Smith MNIA, Skilled Accountants P/L & Matthew Addison, Executive Director ICB.
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