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ICAEW ACA students in a training agreement

Find your feet

Together with your employer and tuition provider, we provide support throughout your ICAEW journey.

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The four key elements of the ACA

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Professional development

There are seven professional development ladders to complete. They will develop your communication skills as well as teamwork, decision making, problem solving and more. Record how you meet each skill and discuss them at each six-monthly review meeting.

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Practical work experience

You will need to complete at least 450 days of practical work experience as part of your training agreement. This will provide you with an opportunity to put theory into practice, involving real-life work of financial, business or commercial nature.

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Ethics and professional scepticism

Develop your knowledge and behaviour and feel confident in decision making. Ethics underpins the ACA qualification; you will need to complete the Ethics Learning Programme and discuss ethics scenarios as part of your six-monthly reviews.

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Exams

There are up to 15 exams to study and pass and they are split over three levels - Certificate, Professional and Advanced. They focus on different aspects of accountancy, finance and business and complement the experience you will gain at work.

Book an exam
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For your diary

Our handy planner contains all the key dates and deadlines for you to bookmark and regularly check.

Download the planner

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Six-monthly reviews

As a mandatory part of your training, your six-monthly reviews are important to gain approval for your practical work experience days, discuss your progress and feedback.

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Online training file

Your online training file is a record of your progress and development and must be updated every six months throughout your training.

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UK Audit Qualification

Record your audit experience throughout your training, to work towards the Audit Qualification and becoming a UK statutory auditor. If you work for a firm of UK or EEA registered auditors start recording today,

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Profile of Ashwini

The soft skills are just as important as the spreadsheets.

Meet Ashwini

Ashwini has already started studying for the ACA and we are following her throughout her journey. Read her journey to date and keep an eye out for more to come.

Get inspired

Student Roadmap

Use our template roadmaps to discover the key milestones on a typical student journey and chart your own progression.

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We're here to help

When it comes to student support, we're here to lend a helping hand throughout your journey with us.

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