SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Business administration graduates from Aurora College can now put their course credits toward a professional designation with the overall body of Canadian accountants, the Canadian General Accountants Association (CGA).
Executive director of the Education Committee for the CGA NWT and Nunavut Marlene Sutton, left, and vice president of education and training at Aurora College Margaret Imrie make the Canadian General Accountants' recognition of business administration college courses official with the stroke of a pen at Aurora College's Tallah Building in Yellowknife on Tuesday. - Laura Busch/NNSL photo
|
On Tuesday, representatives from Aurora College and the NWT and Nunavut chapter of the accountants association gathered in a boardroom at Aurora College's Tallah Building in Yellowknife to make the accreditation official.
While the atmosphere was low key as officials signed the documents, this agreement has exciting implications for the college's business administration students, said program head Margaret Dumkee.
"It's really significant because students earning professional designations, such as the CGA, will really lead to great career opportunities," she said.
Earning a professional designation such as this one makes the difference between calling oneself a bookkeeper and being able to work as a professional accountant, said Jim Martin, chair of the education committee for the association's NWT and Nunavut chapter.
"The obvious benefit that it certifies you to be a professional accountant. That is, the ability to apply for jobs at the professional accountancy level," he said. "Right now, the demand for accountants in the North and across Canada is high and there is a strong and growing demand for professional accountants and accounting students."
Under the agreement, graduates of the business administration diploma program may use 10 of their required courses for a guaranteed eight course credits toward their CGA certification. To receive a CGA designation, students must complete 19 course credits which are all available through distance education.
Allowing students to transfer credits from their college studies means additional courses won't be required, which saves time and money, said Margaret Imrie, vice-president of education and training at Aurora College. The new agreement also gives students the advantages of beginning their studies in a classroom setting, which is often more rewarding than studying online or through correspondence.
"They get that first bit of experience toward their career in a classroom environment so they get a really good base and then they're able to use that when they go on to finish the program by distance, which is generally more challenging," said Imrie.
A student also needs to have received a baccalaureate degree before completing their CGA certification, added Dumkee.
Past graduates also qualify
In order to make this CGA credit-transfer agreement a reality, business administration courses were put through a rigorous evaluation process this past summer, and the agreement came into effect on July 9 of last year, said Marlene Sutton, executive director of the CGA NWT and Nunavut.
Since that time, three students have already taken advantage of the agreement, transferring their credits and have begun their distance studies to complete their professional designations, she said.
During the evaluation of Aurora College courses, national experts examined course material dating back five years, which means any students who have graduated during this time frame may take advantage of this opportunity as well, said Sutton.
In the past, many business administration students have expressed interest in pursuing their professional certification with the CGA but the college does not have a list of these students, said Dumkee. She is hoping students who have taken the business administration program with the college within the last five years will come forward.
"Hopefully it will pull more people into Aurora College to complete the first year of the program, but also those people who have completed what we offer can use this."
