A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Pastel Accounting and the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) will help to professionalise bookkeeping in South Africa, by enabling automatic membership of the ICB for bookkeepers who achieve certain qualifications in Pastel Accounting training.
Learners who have completed Pastel Accounting's four-day Pastel Partner 2007 training with a minimum pass mark of 75% will be granted affiliate ICB membership - afICB(SA).
Full membership - MICB(SA) - will be granted to learners completing, also with 75% or more, the Pastel Evolution End User four-day training.
The ICB is associated with two complementary organisations, the Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA) and the International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB), both based in the United Kingdom.
Pastel Accounting managing director Steven Cohen says the MOU signals a welcome departure in the approach to training entry-level bookkeepers. "Through our computer-based training facilities, bookkeepers will be trained in the principles and processes of accounting on the tools they are most likely to use in the modern workplace.
"That gives them an advantage in the marketplace because a lot of bookkeeping training is still done the way it has been done for hundreds of years - manually, using huge ledgers. The problem with that approach is that it doesn't recognise the way that technology has changed business - and the role of the accountant or bookkeeper. These days, because of the information he or she gets from an organisation's computer systems, the accountant is a proactive decision-maker in the business, directing the future of the organisation.
"In other words, the old idea of the accountant or bookkeeper being the 'bean counter' is dead, and we're trying to reinforce that with the training we make available. We're doing it at schools, by providing educational accounting software and educator training free of charge to high schools throughout the country.
"And we're heavily involved at university level - where 15 000 students are trained on Pastel every year.
"But, until we signed the MOU with the ICB, there was still a gap between school leavers and graduate accountants into which most bookkeepers fell. Now they can learn bookkeeping in the way that is most relevant to their jobs and, through the ICB, they can continuously extend their learning and career paths, all the way through to becoming accountants, if that's what they want to do.
"More importantly, perhaps, through the ICB they gain the credibility of being part of a professional body. Being able to put your membership of the ICB on your CV gives you an immediate advantage when applying for jobs - because it gives employers the assurance that your qualifications are world-class."
Under the MOU, Pastel Accounting undertakes all assessment of learners and, accordingly, awards the relevant qualifications. The ICB then awards the related membership, subject to the payment of membership fees.
"In addition, bookkeepers who have passed through our training and become ICB members are eligible for membership of the Pastel Forum, which entitles them to discounts on our products and support services," Cohen says. "That's an extremely affordable way of staying on top of the latest accounting software developments, as well as obtaining the most popular and effective tools of the trade."
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