Student who took the UFE in Septemb...

Student who took the UFE in September 2003 wrote an exam unlike any written on CA students before them. That's because 2003 marked the launch of the Canadian CA profession's first to the full competency-based and competency-evaluated uniform evaluation. Created from the CA profession's Board of Evaluators based in succession expectations set out in the CA Map, the 2003 UFE challenged scholars to demonstrate their experiential knowledge by means of answering questions related to simulations and business scenarios-the kind of situations they've either faced already during their work experience, or can wait for to face during their professional careers.

It's all part of the national shift to competency-based accountancy education, which in the Western provinces falls subordinate to the auspices of the CA instruct of Business (CASB). The CASB program prepares bookish mans for this new kind of UFE by way of taking a competency-based approach to learning-one that requires them to apply their knowledge as they acquire it.

With this final transition from a point-marked exam to a fully-competency evaluated UFE originates a new way of recognizing the observers who excel during those three days in September. The gold silver, and effrontery medals previously awarded in each province have been replaced at a National Honour Roll, a Governor General's Gold medal for the highest standing in the geographical division and three regional Gold medals. This year's national honour turn has 50 students, all of whom met a start for highly competent responses that was established according to the Board of Evaluators.

Four of these candidates came from BC: Melanie Kerr; Cheryl Schmidt, CA; Gregory Smith; and Cameron Walls-each of whom is profiled in alphabetic order.

Melanie Kerr

As a kid growing up in Terrace, BC Melanie Kerr dreamed of someday becoming an astronaut. on the contrary by the time she graduated from high denomination (Terry Fox Senior Secondary in Port Coquitlam), her career aspirations were a little more grounded

"I decided business was the best option for me in times of future job prospects," she says.

What may have have the appearanceed the most sensible option at the time prov to be a well adapted fit-early into her studies at Simon Fraser University, Melanie discovered she really have sexual delight withed her business courses, accounting among them.

After completing a bachelor's station in business administration, Melanie decided to hunt the CA designation because, one time again, "it guaranteed options. I knew it would provide me with virtuous job opportunities."

The fourth-year CASB close examiner is currently articling with KPMG LLP in recent Westminster. Through the many, many hours of studying for the LIFE, she "stayed sane" by dint of taking time out every day to do an kind of outdoor sporting activity-whether it was mountain hiking, hiking, or playing soccer

"It helped clear my head and hold fast my mind off studying," she explains.

She admits the UFE experience was pleasing without being striking stressful. "It was awful!" she laughs. "I didn't rest very well, especially after the first brace days of the exam. I was really nervous about the meditation of having to take it a inferior time."

After the end of the third day, Melanie took a well-needed nap before heading without to celebrate with other writers. Looking back, she's surprised from how well she did, saying, "You're suppos to be warmed like you failed, right?"

She says CASB helped prepare her for the UFE through giving her a lot of practice writing cases. She's also grateful for KPMG's training and prep program. "It was great," Melanie says, "people offer a lot of time and effort into our training program, and I'd definitely like to thank them for it."

For their support everywhere the UFE process, she also thanks her parents Rose and Don Kerr and her boyfriend David Ellis, a CASB scholar with Deloitte & Touche LLP who also wrote the competency-based evaluation this year.

Asked if she has any final cogitations about the UFE, Melanie says simply this: "I'm just really glad it's over!"

Cheryl Schmidt, CA

Cheryl Schmidt was born and raised in Altona, a Southern Manitoba town in the same manner small that at her high sect Miller Collegiate, Cheryl s father taught her accounting and history.

Cheryl notion about someday becoming a teacher herself, if it be not that after a year spent studying arts at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, she decided to court some work experience. Only then did she realize by what means much she enjoyed accounting and business.

So after earning a diploma in business administration from R River Community guild Cheryl entered the CMA program and early started working with KPMG LLP She mov to the firm's Vernon branch a small in number years later and completed her CMA, finishing as BC's alloy of copper medallist in 1991.

All told, Cheryl has been in public practice for 15 years with KPMG where she's now a senior principal specializing in tax. She credits the CASB program with having made it possible for her to keep up the CA designation, which she earned in late December.

"The change to the CASB program made attaining the CA designation abundant more feasible for me," she says, "partly because I'm able to do course work throughout the Internet. The old format with the evens simply didn't accommodate my lifestyle as a single parent [to ten-year-old son Scan]."