Preparing accounting students for WIL success through a collaborative SME-supported model.
This seed project described in this report aimed to better prepare accounting students for internship placements by improving their professional skills. The project involved the development and implementation of a campus-based Pre-Internship Placement Program (PIPP) for accounting students at the Un...
| Institutions: | University of Canberra University of Technology, Sydney |
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| প্রধান লেখক: | , , |
| প্রকাশিত: |
Australia. Dept of Education
2019
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| বিষয়গুলি: | |
| অনলাইন ব্যবহার করুন: | https://ltr.edu.au/resources/SD15-5126_Hughes_FinalReport_2019.pdf |
| সংক্ষিপ্ত: | This seed project described in this report aimed to better prepare accounting students for internship placements by improving their professional skills. The project involved the development and implementation of a campus-based Pre-Internship Placement Program (PIPP) for accounting students at the University of Canberra in 2016. A literature review of the literature confirmed longstanding, Australia-wide concerns of graduate quality, and also suggested that very few Australian firms offered internship placements. Discussions with small or medium enterprise (SME) accounting firms revealed that internships were regarded as high risk and costly; the skills gap in interns was perceived as too great. The project worked with key stakeholder groups to identify specific examples of common skill weaknesses in accounting graduates. This included a poor understanding of appropriate generic skills including dress code; body language; and the ability to interact, seek advice and communicate appropriately. A list of technical accounting skills was endorsed by employers and turned into a formal practice set which was then used in the PIPP. To be eligible to participate in the PIPP, students had to have completed a technical accounting subject. A notification letter was emailed to all eligible students informing them that a three-week long PIPP would run during the university’s winter term break and that, following interviews with accounting firms, internships would be offered to select students at the conclusion of the PIPP. Students were advised they had to commit to attending all sessions, and also had to commit to dressing in a manner suitable for a professional services firm. To enable the introduction of strict dress code and attendance requirements, the PIPP was designed to run as a free extra-curricular activity, rather than a formal university subject in which case such requirements could not be imposed. Thirty (24 international and six local) applied to participate in the inaugural PIPP offering in June 2016 and all were accepted. Each PIPP day began with a presentation by professional accountants, followed by morning tea. This was designed to give the students a chance to develop their networking skills and build confidence when speaking with professionals. Following morning tea, the students either attended presentations or undertook activities such as public speaking, negotiating, interviews and job application writing. Activities relating to technical skills included working with spreadsheets, using Internet resources to develop proficiency in an accounting package, and completing practice exercises. Some activities required students to combine technical and professional skills. At the conclusion of the PIPP, students undertook ‘speed dating’ interviews with representatives from nine SME accounting firms. These interviews resulted in 13 students (10 international and three local) being offered internships. As of March 2017, nine of these (six international and three local) have been offered ongoing employment. To gauge the success of the PIPP, managers and/or supervisors of the interns were interviewed at the conclusion of their internships. The feedback was positive and accompanied with expressions of further support for the PIPP in the future. The 2017 offering of the PIPP indicates a positive upward trend in participation rates, with 15 firms volunteering to participate – up from nine firms in 2016. Similarly, 35 students have been accepted – up from 30 in 2016. This is encouraging and bodes well for the future of the PIPP. |
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| আইসবিএন: | 9781760517762 [PDF] 9781760517779 [DOCX] 9781760517786 [PRINT] 9781760517762 [PDF] 9781760517779 [DOCX] 9781760517786 [PRINT] |
