[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Johannesburg, Wednesday 27 January 2021 – If you or someone you know studied a BCom Accounting or BCom Accounting (Extended Programme) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) after 2015, here is some good news for your career. Recently the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) accredited these two degrees for admission into its mid-tier Associate General Accountants [AGAs(SA)] designation. Here is how you could qualify to become a SAICA associate.
When it comes to addressing South Africa’s scarce-skills shortage, SAICA prides itself on accrediting programmes which enable students access to SAICA’s membership via various qualification routes.
The accounting body recently added another point of entry into its diverse offerings when it confirmed that UJ’s BCom Accounting and BCom Accounting (Extended Programme) degrees have been accredited to offer graduates the opportunity to become AGAs(SA).
Says Chantyl Mulder, SAICA’s Executive Director: Nation Building: ‘This is career boosting news for those who studied accountancy at UJ as it means that they now have the opportunity to become associated with one of the world’s leading accounting institutes.’
‘Professional bodies exist with the mandate of representing, promoting and enhancing their respective profession. As South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy membership body, SAICA strives to maintain and strengthen the overall status of the accountancy profession and to ensure that its members and associates are highly regarded by society at large thanks to their ability to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism, discipline and performance as sought after by employers and recruiters alike. When you present yourself into the market as a SAICA member or associate, it means that you have qualified through a trusted, well-regulated, rigorous education and assessment process,’ Mulder continues.
What is an AGA(SA)?
If there is one thing the past few years has taught businesses, it is that they need to have reliable financial reporting and uphold accounting practices and controls in order to help them avoid corruption and the type of scandals that can destroy a company’s reputation in an instant. To do that, they need a qualified, fit-for-purpose team of professionals in their finance departments.
This is where SAICA’s mid-tier AGA(SA) designation comes in.
As valuable members of any company’s financial team, AGAs primary role is to enhance, drive and measure organisational value thanks to their broad, future-focused, multi-disciplinary approach to
driving operational performance. As an associate member of a professional body they are required to comply with the SAICA Code of Professional Conduct and act ethically as well as undertake ongoing and relevant learning activities that contribute towards their ongoing professional competence. This is a win for both the associate member and the organisations they serve.
What does accreditation mean for UJ?
‘In order to gain SAICA accreditation, higher education providers undergo a rigorous and extensive process to ensure that their programme has the necessary resources in place to deliver a high quality programme leading to a AGA(SA) designation. These quality assurance processes are undertaken in addition to the formal regulatory accreditation requirements of the DHET, CHE and SAQA which need to be in place before getting the SAICA stamp of approval. Having undergone the formal accreditation process, we are confident that the UJ’s newly accredited degrees are backed by the necessary resources to meet the standards set by SAICA. On behalf of the institution, we congratulate the UJ team on this achievement,’ explains Mulder.
The accreditation is effective to all students who enrolled for UJ’s BCom Accounting or BCom Accounting (Extended Programme) programmes from January 2015 or later. This means that both UJ alumni and current students of these two accredited AGA(SA)undergraduate degrees can qualify to become AGAs(SA) by either having successfully completed a SAICA training contract or having four years’ of relevant work experience and successfully completing SAICA’s Training Equivalence Assessment.
Professor Ben Marx, Head of Department for UJ’s Department of Accountancy adds that ‘UJ is truly delighted about the AGA(SA) accreditation and the renewed association with a professional accountancy institute, such as SAICA. The AGA(SA) accreditation opens up another pathway for UJ students towards professional education and aligns with the Accountancy@UJ goal of producing ethical, critical thinking accountants for the 4th Industrial Revolution.’
Anyone wishing to query whether they can qualify for SAICA’s AGA(SA) designation on the back of the successful completion of these degrees can contact Adri Kleinhans at adrik@saica.co.za or visit SAICA’s website for further details.
FAQ – ABOUT SAICA’S ASSOCIATE GENERAL ACCOUNTANT [AGA(SA)] DESIGNATION
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About Associate General Accountants [AGAs(SA)]
AGAs(SA) play key managerial roles within diverse sectors of the economy. Professionals who hold this qualification have successfully completed a SAICA training contract or assessment to ensure they offer a strong set of technical accounting and financial skills required to navigate today’s complex and evolving business environment.
AGAs(SA) are technically-minded accountants, who have the ability to bridge operational and strategic management functions. Their expert ability to drive accountancy and financial excellence in organisations enables them to deliver results and accelerate organisational financial performance
About SAICA
SAICA, South Africa’s pre-eminent accountancy body, is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading accounting institutes. The Institute provides a wide range of support services to more than 46 000 members and associates who are chartered accountants [CAs(SA)], as well as associate general accountants (AGAs(SA)) and accounting technicians (ATs(SA)), who hold positions as CEOs, MDs, board directors, business owners, chief financial officers, auditors and leaders in every sphere
of commerce and industry, and who play a significant role in the nation’s highly dynamic business sector and economic development.
Chartered Accountants are highly valued for their versatile skill set and creative lateral thinking, that’s why the top 100 Global Brands all employ Chartered Accountants*.
*Source: CAW, 2020 – Interbrand, Best Global Brands 2019
About UJ
The University of Johannesburg (UJ), one of the largest, multi-campus, residential universities in South Africa, seeks to achieve the highest distinction in scholarship and research within the higher education context.
Proudly South African, the University is alive down to its African roots, and well prepared for its role in actualising the potential that higher education holds for the continent’s development. UJ has transformed into a diverse, inclusive, transformational and collegial institution, with a student population of over 50 000, of which more than 3000 are international students from 80 countries. This makes UJ one of the largest contact universities in South Africa (SA) from the 26 public universities that make up the higher education system.
UJ offers excellent, internationally recognised academic programmes based on curricula informed by cutting-edge developments in both undergraduate and postgraduate education, and that are designed to prepare students for the world of work and for global citizenship. The curriculum is increasingly reflective of previously marginalised scholarship that talks to a transformation and decolonisation agenda, with Africa at its core.
The University has eight (8) faculties viz., Education, Law, Humanities, Fine Arts, Design and Architecture, Health Sciences, Science, Engineering and the Built Environment as well as the College of Business and Economics, housing the Johannesburg Business School.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]