We are delighted that the very first degree apprenticeship in accounting and finance has received formal approval from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and funding of £27,000 from the Secretary of State for Education.  

The IFA has been involved in this ground-breaking project since 2018. The apprenticeship will providethe opportunity for employees of IFA member firms to gain a degree while working without the expense of paying back university student loans as well as providing a pathway to professional body membership to boost their career. 

The IFA is acting as the facilitator for the trailblazer group, which is led by Jonathan Mills, Senior Teaching Fellow at Aston University. It includes a number of IFA members representing the accountancy practice community as well as employersfrom small, medium-sized and large organisations across the UK. 

The new degree apprenticeship, which received funding in February 2023, will have a strong emphasis on apprentices gaining knowledge and skills in a wide range of digital technologies that accountants will need to understand, use and apply in their day-to-day work. This will includemaking tax digital, cyber security, automation, artificial intelligence, cloud-based technologies, integrated and sustainability reporting as well as the traditional technical areas required by all accountants.   

It will also provide apprentices with knowledge and skills inareas of human resource management to understand how to recruit, train, appraise, mentor and be responsible for the day-to-day management of their accounting and finance team.   

Aston University is intending to provide the programme from the new 2023 academic year. The next step is to develop the in person and online learning resources to support the degree apprenticeship. 

I’m also pleased that the degree apprenticeship has been shortlisted for an Innovation in Accountancy award by PQ magazine. 

For further information on this initiative visit www.ifa.org.uk/learning/apprenticeships-and-t-level-qualifications/apprenticeships or contact the education team at [email protected]. 

Alternatively contact the Chair of the Trailblazer Group, Jonathan Mills at Aston University on 07531 381744 or email [email protected]. Jonathan will be able to provide further information on the degree apprenticeship through Aston University.