The Growth of Learning in Accounting Firms

Source: Accounting Today

The traditional CPE programs in accounting, audit, and tax are becoming relatively minor elements of far-reaching strategic learning initiatives in many accounting firms. A comprehensive learning program today may include courses in software, networking, soft skills, and career development.

Software programs often incorporate more features than any one person can learn in a lifetime.  Accordingly, firms develop training that teaches the most important and relevant parts of these programs.

Staff often need to be connected remotely to the firm’s network and related resources. Users need training in virus and spyware protection, the use of public wireless Internet connections, etc., beyond what they can learn from trial and error.

Soft skills include a wide range of disciplines including practice development, leadership, communications, presentation, client service, and more. The return on investment in training in these areas can be significant.

Career development plans are developed on individual bases for new people in the firm, taking them from day one to the end of their careers. They may start out with basic skills training and progress to supervision, practice development, and project management, and then to leadership and mentoring. Career development programs are powerful attractions to potential recruits.

Firms that offer programs like these often need directors of training, not necessarily to do the training, but to develop the skill areas to be addressed, and to locate and manage the training resources.  Backgrounds of these people vary. Some have accounting experience and some are former educators with experience in developing curricula. Although trainers are not direct revenue producers, firms have learned to treat them as strategic resources rather than as “overhead.”

From Accounting Today, May 2, 2005. Click on the following link for the complete article:

http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=12815&;pg=acctoday.