The FINANCIAL — PwC, the world's leading professional services network is introducing PwC Academy, a new concept in professional training and development to the Georgia market.
The PwC Academy provides high-level training workshops, practical courses and case studies, to support business in developing future leaders and high level HR professionals. The trainings are provided by experienced practitioners and professional PwC tutors from Georgia and CEE region who hold international qualification (inc. ACCA, ACCA DipIFR, CIA, CFA, CIPD and other) and have extensive international experience.
PwC Academy offers professional qualification trainings on the competency area of PwC’s own core business, namely: Financial Accounting and Reporting (ACCA & ACCA DipIFR), Internal Control and Auditing (CIA -Certified Internal Auditor), Financial Management (CIMA Diploma in Performance Management), Human Resource Management (CIPD), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and extensive offerings in open/public seminars including IFRS and soft skills programs.
“The mission of PwC Academy is to share the unique know-how and experience accumulated within the global firm during the years. A major objective is to bring expertise and best practice from modern developed markets and to implement high-standards of business oriented training to Georgia,” said Yuri Dolidze, PwC Academy leader in Georgia.
The most distinctive reason why an individual should choose to attend courses at PwС Academy is the extremely attractive cost-value proposition which brings world-class quality of training at a price point well within the reach of professionals working in Georgia. The program manuals include the latest publications of PwC Academy. Further, PwC Academy will ensure the instructor's ongoing support throughout all training courses as well as full administrative support.
Financial Accounting & Reporting (ACCA & ACCA DipIFR) — The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, ACCA is one of the largest and fastest growing international accountancy bodies, recognized and respected in 170 countries and has over 500,000 members and students. In order to qualify as an ACCA member, you need to complete 14 examinations, relevant practical work experience, and an Ethics Module.
The ACCA program is most suitable for those that aspire to become professionals in any sector of business. No previous knowledge of accounting or finance is required to start ACCA studies.
The ACCA Diploma in International Financial Reporting (ACCA DipIFR) is an IFRS qualification developed for accountants, financial reporting specialists and auditors who prepare and/or audit statutory financial statements and wish to obtain skills in IFRS reporting and become specialists accredited by the ACCA.
“ACCA DipIFR qualification offers an exceptionally attractive opportunity to certify one’s proficiency in IFRS at an internationally-recognized level, through passing a single exam. When studying for the exam, the candidates will improve their knowledge of the requirements of IFRS, re-enforce their financial reporting skills and learn to apply professional judgment to practical applications of IFRS. Those ACCA DipIFR holders, who decide to pursue full ACCA qualification, are automatically granted exemption from paper F7,” explained George Okroashvili, Manager at PwC Georgia, (a qualified ACCA member).
“Geocell has been preparing financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards for several years and we try to follow IFRS updates. However, the DipIFR trainings held by PwC Academy indeed helped to become proficient to apply the principles of International Financial Reporting Standards in my day to day job. Moreover, it’s very significant and interesting when sessions are delivered by a team of highly qualified professionals,” commented Tamar Ghubianuri, financial planning and international reporting senior specialist at Geocell.
In order to register for the exam, a DipIFR candidate has to satisfy the following eligibility requirements: the individual should have either, three years' work experience; or a relevant degree plus two years' work experience; or ACCA Certificate in International Financial Reporting plus two years' work experience.
CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) is an international qualification awarded by the Institute of Internal Auditors (the IIA). The CIA qualification ranks equally among other globally recognized qualifications such as CPA, CMA, ACCA, CIMA. Knowledge and skills gained through the CIA qualification tuition programme is a standard for internal audit professionals of international and local companies.
Four exams should be attempted to gain the CIA qualification. The exams may be attempted in any order. The CIA exam is available through computer-based testing using multiple-choice questions (each question has four answer choices). Each exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and takes 2 hours 45 minutes to complete.
“The CIA qualification is the only internationally accepted designation for internal auditors that signifies the holder’s achievement and commitment to the profession. Whether the person chooses to stay within the field of internal auditing or move up within your organization, the broad-based understanding of business, governance, risk, and control required of CIAs will serve as an invaluable basis of knowledge. CIAs offer additional expertise and thorough knowledge of operations; CIAs are a valuable resource to executive management and boards of directors in accomplishing overall goals and objectives. Such diversity gives internal auditors a broad perspective of the organization,” commented Nino Kadagishvili, Assistant Manager at PwC Georgia, (a qualified ACCA member).
“The training was attended by three of our employees, including me. All of us would evaluate the training very positively. The three days that the training went on, was very comprehensive theoretically. Information received was very interesting and to the point. However, due to the heavy weight of the information received, it would have been better to prolong the training days and involve more practical examples. In addition, I would like to comment on the high qualification of the tutor and a very comfortable environment,” commented Zurab Beselia, Deputy Head of Internal Audit Service at Georgian State Electricity, after attending the CIA Training.
Apart from professional qualification programs, PwC Academy offers open seminars, including seminars on IFRS up-dates, IFRS 13 and other complex IFRS, and seminars on treasury operations and accounting. The seminars on IFRS up-dates are designed to discuss all the recent changes in IFRS including new standards as well as the latest published drafts of IASB’s ongoing projects. PwC Academy is the first in Georgia to provide these IFRS up-date seminars.
"In addition to general programs run by PwC professional tutors, we offer interesting seminars on specific topics tailored to the local context, prepared and held by experienced subject matter experts invited worldwide from PwC network firms. The seminars involve discussions and analysis of latest developments as well as provide concrete solutions for day-to-day business. PwC is the largest professional firm throughout the world that gives us great opportunities to leverage cutting edge solutions from more developed economies," said Anzor Mzhavanadze, Manager at PwC Georgia, (a qualified ACCA member).
“The IFRS update seminar that we have attended during 16-18 October 2012 has been very informative and practical. The update covered all the areas that were interesting and useful for TBC Bank. The trainer, Gabor Balazs, ACS Partner was great at providing real-life examples, sharing his experience and answering our questions,” told Sophie Jugeli, Deputy Chief Finance Officer at TBC Bank.
In addition to these ongoing programs, PwC Academy plans to introduce the following new courses: CIMA Diploma in Performance Management, CIPD – Human Resource Management Program, Mini MBA, Seminar on Treasury Operations and Accounting, Project Management Courses, tailored tax and legal seminars, and soft skills courses.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Central Asia and Caucasus B.V Georgia Branch is a member of the PwC network of firms, serving clients in Georgia since 1996. In July 2005, PwC opened an office in Tbilisi which now employs 70 professional staff. PwC Georgia’s service offerings are organized into three lines of service: Assurance, Advisory, and Tax and Legal. According to the report by Georgian Auditing Council for 2011, PwC Georgia, by a healthy margin, has taken up the market leader position.
PwC network employs more than 180,000 people in 776 offices in 158 countries and achieved total gross revenues of USD 31.5 billion for the fiscal year ended 30 June 2012.
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