Classes are set to start on 2 June.
New entrants to the professional accountancy profession are mandated to pass the PE examination, which ensures they adhere to international education standards. This is done by assessing whether an aspiring professional accountant meets the minimum competence or proficiency level to be assigned the designation of Professional Accountant (SA).
The designation is one of the few authorised by the South African Revenue Service to provide services as a tax practitioner. A Professional Accountant (SA) can also perform numerous functions, including issuing reports in terms of the Companies Act, Close Corporations Act, and Micro-lending industry regulations, Sectional Titles Act, Non-Profit Organisations Act, and Schools Act.
For many aspiring Professional Accountants (SA), the PE examination can be both an important step in the development of a Professional Accountant (SA) and a potential roadblock for those who are unable to pass the exam.
From here Project Achiever was born in 2015, a programme funded by Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET) that assists candidates in successfully completing the examination and becoming designated SAIPA professional accountants. Although the programme was implemented to facilitate the transformation agenda of the profession, in other words particularly aimed at helping newly qualified black accountants, it is open to all candidates.
Last year SAIPA also launched the online version of Project Achiever to reach interested candidates in outlying areas.
The 12-week, competency-based and learner-centred programme that focusses on the holistic development of the young professional.
It is not a content-based programme designed to get people through an examination. Rather it exposes candidates who have completed the professional development and practical experience component of their development to the ‘soft’ skills components required to become ethical and proficient professionals. This enables them to develop into professional accountants able to provide solutions to the issues brought to them by their clients.
Candidates are encouraged to consolidate their knowledge through self-study and research and to apply this to develop practical and implementable solutions to business scenarios and problems in a multi-disciplinary manner through group discussions.
The PE examination is further aligned with the International Education Standards 6 (IES 6) Assessments, with an emphasis on the principles of competency-based assessment.
“The benefit for future employers or clients is that they will benefit sooner from the combined competence and expertise of the Professional Accountant (SA) beyond the preparation of financial statements for compliance purposes,” explains Ngobese.
For more information regarding requirements and applications for Project Achiever, click here.
