President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) Leighton McKnight has issued a call for more persons to become chartered accountants in an effort to augment the shortage of professionals in that field.
McKnight said the shortage existed mainly in the area of auditing, and challenged members of the association to urge students to join the profession.
“We need to convert our students into chartered accounts and although we have a number of students pursuing the exams now, we still need more,” said the ICAJ president.
McKnight, a partner of the auditing firm Pricewater-houseCoopers was speaking at the ICAJ 41st anniversary luncheon at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in Montego Bay on Wednesday.
The ICAJ currently has 866 members – mostly employed in senior management positions, but McKnight is hoping that the number will increase to 1,300 over the next three years.
That number, he argued, would ease the shortage of the professionals in the island.
To become a chartered account, the prospective accountant must gain a pass in the prescribed examinations of the ICAJ.
McKnight said a pass in the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or the American Institute of Certified Professional Acco-untant (AICPA) or a special masters in accounts degree from the University of the West Indies were the requirements.
The prospective certified accountant, he added however, would also have to undergo a minimum of 36 months of accountancy experience.
McKnight told Sunday Finance that the ICAJ was in discussions with the Ministry of Education and Culture with a view of offering 100 of its members to sit on school boards across the island.
He added that the ICAJ would also be providing training for school bursars. Both of these initiatives he said were expected to come on stream sometime next month.
The Nassau Guardian
