Lifelong learning. We've heard the ...

Lifelong learning. We've heard the phrase likewise often it's almost lost its meaning. still in truth, it's never been for a like reason critical.

As we're all aware, latter events have placed our profession beneath severe scrutiny, and public confidence in our profession has been shaken. We must take the lead in rebuilding that trust at demonstrating our commitment to the highest standards of independent support and integrity. One of the elucidations to answering this challenge is mandatory professional progress to maturity for all of BC's chartered accountants.

In 1988 we were the first provincial institute to require mandatory professional education for our members in public practice. This CPD program for members in public practice has been in this way successful in its 14 years that we can proudly point to a 100% compliance rate. yet we're no longer at-the forefront. Of the provinces that now have mandatory PD for their members, ours is n' ow the alone institute in Canada that does not require mandatory professional growth for al of its members. (It's stanch that the Ongoing Professional Education program has been in place for members outside of public practice since 1994 further while identical in its requirements of hours, the program is voluntary when it reach [i]or[/i] attain any place [i]or[/i] points to reporting). Furthermore, we now have to combat with the fact that the other professional accounting designations, require mandatory professional unfolding as well.

As your president, I be warmed strongly that we must correct this situation. And I'm not alone. In an ICABC member scrutinize conducted last June, almost 70% of all respondent said it was important for members outside of public practice to comply with a mandatory professional unravelling program. Two months later, the PD department canvassed members who hadn't accorded to the previous survey and who hadn't attended an Institute PD course in the previous brace years to seek their opinions about mandatory PD An overwhelming 80% of the members outside of public practice who corresponded said they felt mandatory PD requirements enhanced the value of the CA designation and should be required of members outside of public practice. Clearly, the interest is not at home there. We just need to formalize it.

As I've mentioned in previous array of less front than depths one of Council's ends is to support the "Integrity of the CA Profession." Because Council descrys continuing education as an important means of the couple maintaining member competency and demonstrating to purchasers of our services that we're committed to preserving our high standards, mandatory professional progression in a continuously ascending gradation for all CAs in BC is seen as undivided way to uphold the profession's integrity.

Two month ago, Council vot to bring forward to this year's Annual General Meeting bylaw changes that would make professional unravelling a membership requirement for each BC CA. Your support of this initiative is vital to maintaining CA prominence in this province's accounting profession. It will help us:

* achieve parity with the other accounting organizations upon this issue;

* enhance the of all CAs in BC;

* assure the public of the profession's integrity and commitment;

* help the profession within the business community;

* strengthen our recruitment position with scholars and new members; and

* mark our continuing commitment to the public interest with a significant regulatory change.

Of course, the obvious question for a member outside of public practice is, "Exactly for what reason will this affect me?" Basically, we've expanded the instant CPD program to reflect the learning activities greatest in number of you currently undertake. The recently made known program will:

* expand the definition of in-house presentations to include courses held within corporations;

* include industry discourses as qualifying multi-day conventions;

* increase the allowable annual credit hours for conventions from 10 to 25; and

include on-the-job training activities as qualifying, informal CPD

The universal mandatory I'D program is establish to begin January 1, 2003 Hour requirements will be pro-rated for members outside of public practice since these members will be starting in Year 2 of the rife three-- year cycle. A minimum of 14 CPD hours by year and 70 CPD hours across the entire three-year cycle of 2002-2004 are required.

If you have any questions about mandatory PD contact the chair of the Professional progress to maturity Review Committee,

Peter Cha, CA, at 604-435-4317 or by means of email at pcha@cjw.com. You can also contact the Institute's Director of Professional unravelling Moira Bryans, CA, at 604-488-2640 or by dint of email at mbryans@ica.bc.ca.

During my hold experience in industry I was always frustrated that the mandatory continuing PD requirements at that time did not coincide with the substantial learning activities required on my job-- activities such as popular value accounting and researching to build data-based piece of work costing systems. As a come I had to go outside the ICABC PD program to find the professional progress to maturity courses relevant for my industry-specific distresss

I believe today's propos expanded criteria would have accommodated the exemplar of learning I undertook back then, and would have given me the opportunity to demonstrate make experiment of continuing commitment to maintaining my