Gearing up for the fall recruitment

With the fall recruitment just around the corner, the ICAA will once again be hosting the annual Meet the CA Training Office events. These regional events attract students from all post-secondary campuses, and there is no cost to attend. The event dates are as follows:

Edmonton
Friday, September 9
Location: Expo Centre at Northlands (Ballrooms 101-104)
Address: 7515-118 Avenue (Edmonton)
Time: 2pm-7pm

Lethbridge
Thursday, September 15
Location: Markin Hall, Atrium
University of Lethbridge
Time: 3pm-7pm

Calgary
Friday, September 16
Location: BMO Centre, Palamino Room
Address: 1410 Olympic Way SE (Calgary)
Time: 2pm-7pm

Offices are not required to staff a booth for the full event and we encourage all training offices (large or small) to attend. Registration details are now available. To reigster, go to http://www.albertacas.ca/BecomeaCA/UpcomingEvents/CATOLogin.aspx.

The ICAA would like to remind all CA Training Offices about the recruitment calendar, which sets the recruitment dates during September and October. The calendar harmonizes the dates for recruitment of accounting students and provides all training offices with equal access to students in a coordinated manner. Here are the 2011 dates:

September 22 – CA Application Deadline
October 3 – First interviews begin
October 21 – CA Offer Date (8:00AM MST)
October 25 -- CA Acceptance Date

Introduction: Carly Roemer CA

Although you may have already received an email or two from me, I’d like to formally introduce myself. My name is Carly Roemer CA and I joined the ICAA this past February as the CA Training Office Manager. Prior to joining ICAA I was working in public practice. I am so excited to be here and want to make sure that everyone understands what my role is with the Institute… I am here to help! It may sound cliché but it’s true. My purpose at the ICAA is to assist current CA Training Offices and to help prospective training offices with their applications.

There are many things that I can help assist training offices with. Some of these items include:

• Keeping you informed of any changes to the PER (Practical Experience Requirements)
• Assisting you with making changes to your current program; perhaps you would like to change your program by adding or removing a rotation. Or, maybe you would like to add an additional stream or increase the number of students
• Helping you with your recruitment needs
• I am available to come and talk to Training Principles, Counselling Members or students about the program (for example, if you need help filling out the required forms, or any other general questions they may have)
• Answering questions about the RQEs (record of qualifying experience)

As well, if there are any other concerns or questions you may have as a training office, you can contact me. I will be your first point of contact with the institute for any type of questions that you may, and I can also help with any CASB questions you may have.

I look forward to meeting many new people during the upcoming summer and recruiting season.

Carly Roemer CA
Manager, CA Training Office Program
c.roemer@icaa.ab.ca

ICAA to offer self-serve onine job postings

Looking to hire? We have the answer. The ICAA is undergoing a website enhancement to create an online job postings service. Whether you are looking to hire a CA student or a designated CA, the online job postings allow you to post the job, make changes, and remove the postings once the position has been filled. This feature will be available beginning in August for all employers. For more information on the job postings service, contact Amanda Radakovitch at a.radakovitch@icaa.ab.ca.

New CA Training Office website launched

Visit the new CA Training Office website at www.catrainingoffice.ca

Recently approved training offices in Alberta

From October 2010 to April 2011, the following 13 organizations were approved as CA Training Offices, bringing the total number of approved organizations to offer expanded experience opporuntities in Alberta to 31.

1. Grant Thornton Tax (Calgary and Edmonton)
2. Ensign Energy Services Inc.
3. Grant MacEwan University
4. North American Construction Group
5. Thompson Bros (Constr.) Ltd.
6. Catalyst – tax stream
7. Ensminger, Beck & Thompson – tax stream
8. SCM Insurance Services
9. Deloitte Enterprise Risk Services
10. University of Calgary
11. KMPG Tax (Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge)
12. Alberta Health Services (Edmonton and Calgary)
13. Volution Tax

The new approved training offices demonstrate the diversity of training opportunities that are now available to students. There are a growing number of new organizations, as well as opportunities within previously existing CA Training Offices, that are developing talent outside of the traditional external audit role. If your office would like to find out more about offering additional training routes, please contact Carly Roemer, CA Training Office Program Manager.

To register a student, or to not register a student...That is the question

With the various work terms available (co-op, summer and permanent), it is often confusing as to when a student is considered a CA student and should be registered with CASB. The common rule is that a training office should register a student with CASB when the student is working with the office in a CA student capacity. Specifically, any student who has completed at least 45 credit hours of university level courses is eligible to be registered as a CASB student. Once the student has completed the required credit hours, the practical experience hours are recognized by CASB towards the three-year required term.

“We can only approve up to 10 months of back time from the date that they were registered as a CASB student, so it is best for the training office to register them as soon as they begin employment to ensure that all of their time will be recognized. CASB accepts Student Registration Applications at any time during the year,” says Amber Campbell, Senior Evaluator with CASB.

If the training office offers multiple training paths, it is also required to update CASB if a student changes training paths within the training office. This will ensure that competencies of the student are properly tracked and recorded through their practical experience training.

Training offices can download the Student Registration Application form from the CASB website. If a new hire is already registered with CASB, your office only needs to submit a Change of CA Training Office form when they begin employment. For full-time students, once they have ended employment with an office, the office is required to submit a completed Confirmation of Practical Experience certificate to CASB. And, for co-op and undergraduate students who have completed a work term, fill out the Co-op and Summer Student Employment Status Update form. All forms can be found on the CASB website under the forms section.

“Any time the employment status of a student changes, you should always notify CASB,” says Amber. For questions regarding student registrations, contact CASB at generalregistrations@casb.com.

www.albertaCAs.ca

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta (ICAA) is the self-governing body which regulates approximately 12,000 Alberta CAs and CA students. The ICAA protects the public by setting the most rigorous qualification criteria, and establishing and enforcing the highest professional, ethical and practice standards. CAs play key roles within diverse segments of the economy, including public accounting, business, not-for-profit organizations, and government. Recognized internationally, the CA designation denotes superior financial expertise, strategic thinking, business insight and leadership.

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