HONG KONG, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has successfully held its first Future Business Leadership Programme in Hong Kong recently. Under the programme, 29 students were selected from 19 Mainland universities to join a six-day training event in Hong Kong.
Aiming at equipping future accounting and finance professionals with an international perspective and all-rounded strategic vision, ACCA worked together with renowned institutions and corporations to organise this debut overseas training opportunity for the elite Mainland Chinese students who are either paper winners of the ACCA Examinations in 2011 or outstanding students in ACCA bounded class.
During the programme, students visited Ernst & Young, HSBC and Bank of East Asia and participated in a series of career planning seminars. By experiencing a real competitive working environment at the famous international companies in Hong Kong, the participating students acquired more information about their future career development.
Highlight of the programme was the one-day Job Shadowing. Each student were arranged to visit one company according to their interest and academic aspect. Senior executives of the participating companies and ACCA fellow members introduced the business operation, organisation and financial operation of the companies to the students. They also explained in detail the duties of work, opportunities and challenges as well as the qualities that an accounting and financial professional should possess. Most of the students found the Job Shadowing helpful in setting their career goals and improving their competitiveness in the job market.
Ada Leung, Head of ACCA China, said: "The Future Business Leadership Programme is tailor-made for students who are studying in the ACCA bounded class in the Mainland China. This is a great learning opportunity for students who are aspired to become the elite of the accounting and finance profession in the future. I am pleased to see that all students have been staying open for the past six days. They observed people around them and listened to the advice from senior professionals. They also raised questions and expressed their opinions, while opening their mind to learn and absorb new knowledge and to experience. They took this opportunity to meet other students, leaders and experts, and to turn what they have learned into practice."
Bernard Wu, Chairman of ACCA Hong Kong, shared that whether in Hong Kong or in Mainland China, the employment prospect of accounting and finance industry would be much broader and is able to provide more opportunities than any other industries with the advent of global economic integration. Students should value what they have learned in this programme and try to attain their career goals by riding on their expertise.
Most of the participating students found that they have benefited a lot throughout the six-day programme. They recognised that employers are looking for candidates with not only a solid foundation of professional knowledge, but also with problem-solving skills and positive work attitude. They also noticed that a successful accounting professional should equip with cross-cultural communication skills, strong analytical skills and good determination. With a better understanding of the employment market, students were able to identify the room for growth and better prepared for their future career.
Frank Wan, student representative of the Future Business Leadership Programme, said: "We'd like to thank ACCA for providing us this unique experience to learn from the industry elites in Hong Kong. We understand that there is a long way for us to attain our career goals. This programme will become one of the important remarks in our life experience."
As the global body for professional accountants, ACCA is committed to the development of the accounting industry and nurturing of the future accounting professionals. Throughout a series of activities, such as, the Job Hunting Competition, Mentorship Programmes and training programmes, ACCA provides a platform for students to enrich themselves, improve their analytical ability, presentation and communication skills, as well as deepen understanding of the industry. Further to the success of this debut Future Business Leadership Programme, ACCA will keep working closely with various corporations and accounting veterans to continue the contribution to the accounting and finance industry.
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About ACCA
ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. As the first global accountancy body entering into China, ACCA now has over 22,600 members and 42,500 students, with 7 offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR.
Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. We believe that accounting professionals bring value to economies in all stages of development. We aim to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of consistent global standards. Our values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and we ensure that, through our qualifications, we prepare accountants for business. We work to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers to entry, ensuring that our qualifications and their delivery meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers.
We support our 154,000 members and 432,000 students in 170 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills needed by employers. We work through a network of over 80 offices and centres and more than 8,400 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development.
For more information about ACCA, please visit www.accaglobal.com.
