Sunday September 23, 2012

Current number of certified accountants only half of 60,000 target for 2020

KUCHING: The country will need an approximately 60,000 qualified accountants by 2020.

However, the figure is still far from the target as the country currently has only half of the desired numbers.

As such, the Sunway Group executive committee member Puan Sri Dr Susan Cheah said accountants today were looked upon as a vital part of every organisation because they were the ones who would implement strategic financial plans and initiate entrepreneurial actions that could secure the future of any business.

“I urge the public not to be swayed by popular misconceptions about accounting profession. The image of accountants as dull, middle-aged men dressed in grey suits is fast disappearing,” she said at the Sunway College Kuching 14th graduation ceremony here yesterday.

She said the role of the accountants had grown beyond that of the traditional book keepers.

“They’re no longer confined to just updating the ledger books but also acting as guardians of the ‘checks-and-balances’ that ensure the well-being of companies they work for, and the economy of the countries they live in.

“The flexible and resilient nature of the accounting profession continues to make it a rewarding career option for many.

“The profession today is associated with high salaries and a bewildering array of career opportunities including traditional auditing and assurance work, management and IT consulting, human resources and insolvency,” she said.

She added that the accounting practice’s close involvement with every aspect of business success and financial integrity made it a prestigious and honourable profession.

Fifteen students from the college’s Association of Charted Certified Accountants (ACCA) programme, 38 from Certified Accounting Technicians (CAT) programme and 15 from London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) programme received their scrolls during the ceremony.

In this year’s June session, Chai Min Chiung scored 96 marks and was declared as the “Malaysian Prize Winner” (World’s placing No. 2) for CAT’s Management Costs and Finance paper.

The June examinations also saw the college retaining its status as the first and only ACCA Platinum Approved tuition provider in Sarawak and Sabah.

Earlier, Sunway College Kuching chief executive officer Joseph Lim said to match the high standards of the new accounting workforce, the graduates had to be well-equipped and possessed good people skills.

“In other words, good communication skills are not a ‘nice to have’ as they are essential to the smooth running of any organisation.

“If communication breaks down in a team, then the consequences can be severe as work can be duplicated or responsibilities ignored,” he said.

News

Sunday September 23, 2012

Current number of certified accountants only half of 60,000 target for 2020