Frequently asked questions about initial professional development (IPD).
- What is initial professional development (IPD)?
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Initial professional development (IPD) is the development of the added-value professional skills that will help define you as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant and trusted business adviser.
The skills that IPD requires you to focus on cover five main areas.
- Ethics and professionalism
- Personal effectiveness
- Technical and functional expertise
- Business awareness
- Professional judgement
You need to continue to develop these skills throughout your training (and once you are qualified too), so IPD has three levels that you will need to complete these as you progress through your ACA training. Find out what we’d expect you to learn at each of the five skills areas on the IPD pages of your ACA student training guide (PDF 1MB/36 pages).
The IPD process requires you to reflect on your skills needs/gaps in each of the five key areas (see above). You’ll then need to take action to develop and improve your professional skills. This is done through on-the-job learning such as discussions with more senior staff, events, in-house training courses, webinars, seminars, shadowing, mentoring and a variety of other activities.
You’ll need to keep accurate records of all your progress and development in the five key skills areas.
There are two ways you can complete IPD. You can follow ICAEW’s IPD scheme or if your organisation has its own professional development scheme, and this has been accredited by ICAEW (to ensure it means the same level and scope of learning outcomes as the ICAEW IPD scheme) you can follow the requirements of that scheme instead. You do not need to complete both schemes, but it is the development of key skills throughout your training and the documenting of this development that is key.
- How do I access ICAEWs IPD area and is IPD completed online?
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The IPD area can be accessed through the main student website or from the dedicated link at icaew.com/ipd.
Students need to record their IPD progress online. This will need to be signed off regularly by your employer - at least every six months. Employers can access the online sign off area for IPD at icaew.com/employersonlineaccess.
You should keep the evidence to support your IPD progress (diaries, job sheets etc) on your own system or as hard copy.
- My organisation has their own professional skills development programme. Do I have to complete that and the ICAEW scheme too?
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If your employers’ scheme has been accredited by ICAEW (to show it meets the same learning outcomes as ICAEW's IPD scheme) then you can complete your employers’ own accredited programme. In this case, you do not need to complete both schemes. You can record your progress on your organisations’ own system as you train. However, you will still need to use the ICAEW final online sign off at the end of your period of approved training to declare that you have completed the IPD requirements.
If your employer doesn’t have an accredited development scheme, then you’ll need to use ICAEWs IPD scheme and sign off each level online with ICAEW as you complete it.
- How does my employer access the IPD online sign off area?
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Employers can access the online sign off area for IPD and STE at icaew.com/employersonlineaccess.
- What help does ICAEW provide for me to develop my professional skills for IPD?
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ICAEW provide a lot of help to students including:
- Are there examples of what I need to learn in each of the five key IPD skills areas?
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Yes. The information can be found at icaew.com/ipd. Download the document called 'The five key skill areas of IPD'. You should also read the IPD section in your ACA training guide (PDF 1MB/36 pages) that will help you understand the purpose of IPD and what you need to do.
- I completed the first half of my ACA training at a firm which had the employer accredited IPD scheme. My new employer however doesn’t have a professional development scheme. Will my IPD from the first half of my training still be recognised?
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Your new employer cannot rely on development gained elsewhere. You need to prove your skills again, as any new employee has to do in any new role. You will need to complete the ICAEW IPD scheme and the IPD log. But remember, you are not losing development; you just have to demonstrate it to your new employer. If you have the skills, then you should quickly be able to demonstrate them, so it will not delay the completion of IPD.
- What happens if I transfer from an organisation using an accredited IPD scheme to ICAEWs IPD scheme?
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Please see the above answer.
- I work for a small accountancy firm and am in the final year of training. I am struggling to complete some the IPD requirements - especially the points within ‘Business Awareness’ - which are geared towards leading a team and leading on your own jobs. This is difficult for me in a small organisation where I am the only junior?
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Irrespective of the size of organisation you work for, by your third year, you should be completing the full assignment and dealing directly with the client. In some cases, trainees in smaller organisations are in a better position to demonstrate business awareness as they are liaising with the actual decision-makers at the business.
You could also ask advice from fellow trainees in similar situations through the online student community at icaew.com/studentcommunity or from students you might meet at any of your local events organised through your local student society or network.
- Can my employer see the detail of what IPD I have completed?
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Yes. Each student should put the detail of the IPD they have completed in their IPD log. This document should then form the basis of discussion in the six-monthly review meeting.
- Does the same person (in my organisation) have to sign off each IPD level that I finish?
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Level 1 and 2 can be signed off by your QPRT or counsellor as part of your six-monthly reviews.
However, the final sign off can only be completed by your QPRT (qualified person responsible for training), PRT (person responsible for training) or Deputy QPRT within your organisation. This is because as part of the final sign off, they will need to declare you as ‘fit and proper’ to join ICAEW.
- Can I change the approver / reviewer of my IPD log?
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Your QPRT (qualified person responsible for training) will need to contact the ICAEW training team at +44 (0)1908 248 038 or training@icaew.com.
- Can I include skills and experience I gained with a previous employer in my IPD log?
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No. Your current employer cannot assess these skills as you did not gain those particular skills while at your existing employer. You need to demonstrate those skills in your new workplace for them to be considered by your employer.
- Can I include skills and experience I gained with my current employer before I started my ACA training?
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Any development of IPD skills gained at your current employer can be included in your IPD log and assessed by your employer.
- How much do I need to write on the IPD log?
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You need to provide enough evidence so that your employer can use their professional judgement in order to confirm that you have completed a level. You don’t necessarily need to write a huge amount, but it should be clear, concise and give full details to help your employer make the decision as to whether you have/have not gained sufficient skills at that level.
- On the IPD example form, every level is broken down into two six-monthly narratives. Instead can we fill in the entire level as just one whole thing?
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Not really, the purpose of splitting the IPD log into six-monthly sections is to help your reviewer. They can then see more easily what progress you have recorded in the last six months.
- Does the IPD log also need to be in hard copy format for the final submission to the ICAEW?
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No, the IPD log (for those following the ICAEW IPD scheme) is designed to support you and your employer in recognising your progress and development areas. Your IPD progress is confirmed using the online IPD records. There is no need to submit your IPD log to ICAEW at the end of your training. (However, all employers are monitored and reviewed, and evidence of record-keeping forms part of that employer review process).
- There are three levels in ICAEWs IPD scheme – should I complete one level each year or can a level be completed in six months?
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The development of professional skills (IPD) is personal to each individual student, so how long each stage takes to complete will be determined on your own personal development. You should however divide the levels over your training agreement, but it is possible to complete a level in three to four hours. This can be done in one chunk of time or divided over a period of time depending on your preference. You must complete all three IPD during your training agreement and you cannot qualify as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant without completing IPD requirements in full.
- Who should keep a copy of my IPD log?
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We recommend that both you and your employer keep a copy of your IPD log.
- How do I know if I have signed off my IPD?
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For ACA students following ICAEWs IPD scheme - you and your employer will need to sign off each of the three levels of IPD as you complete them. The online sign off/declarations are found at icaew.com/ipd. You can look at these declaration pages to see which levels you have signed off. Both you and your employer are responsible for ensuring that this happens.
For ACA students following their organisations’ own accredited IPD scheme - sign off from your employers’ accredited scheme will be recorded on your organisations’ own systems. You will still need to complete ICAEWs final online sign off at the end of your period of training. This is available at icaew.com/ipd.
- In my organisation we have several counsellors and each student has a counsellor. How may counsellors can sign off online for IPD or ETWE for specific students? Can we link online students and counsellors?
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It is not possible to link counsellors to students. Counsellors who have been entered onto our system can only sign off online for those students who have been allocated to them. A counsellor will select the appropriate student to sign off. Counsellors are qualified accountants and when signing off need to bear in mind their ethical and professional responsibilities to only sign off a student that they are mentoring / reviewing.
- If I change employer during my three year's training, would you recommend getting the IPD (and TWE) signed off before I leave, so that I can still prove what I’ve done?
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Yes, absolutely! If you get all your documentation signed off in a timely fashion, then if you do move to another employer part way through your training agreement, you can continue from where you left off.
- I am studying the ACA through the AAT-ACA Fast Track route. Can I use the two years of experience I gained while completing my AAT to count towards my IPD? I am with the same employer that I completed the AAT under.
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For this and all other questions/answers relating to AAT-ACA Fast Track, see AAT-ACA Fast Track FAQs.