Academia & Education Community articles

In our last newsletter, we reflected on the government's changes to Level 7 apprenticeship funding and what they might mean for our profession. Since then, the conversation has only intensified, not least at our recent meeting of the ICAEW Academia & Education Community advisory group.

Once again, this year we are hosting the annual Higher Education Conference, a flagship event for academic partners within the ICAEW Partner in Learning (PiL) Programme. The conference will take place in July and is open to Partners in Learning across the globe. Last year, we had attendees on the day representing over 50 HEIs.

As I write this article, all I can think of is all the films I have watched that attempted to depict how life would be in 50 years and being so wrong – iRobot, Blade Runner and so on. For example, could the days of in-person learning be replaced by holograms of the tutor? Who knows, but hopefully this represents the learning environments we will see in the coming years – learning that is technology enabled, highly personalised and data driven.

Manchester Metropolitan University recently welcomed a cohort of MSc Financial Technology students from the Philippines as part of an international study tour. These students, enrolled part-time with one of our global partners, are professionals working across diverse finance-related industries and share a common ambition: to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic job market. A recurring theme throughout the study tour was employability and continuing professional development (CPD) – an important topic not only in the United Kingdom but globally.

For the past eight years, the ICAEW Academy has been proud to partner with the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) – the government-backed body supporting excellence across further education (FE) – to deliver high-impact leadership development for senior finance professionals.

At our recent advisory group meeting, we were briefed by Will Holt, Managing Director of Education and Training at ICAEW, on the impact of government changes to Level 7 apprenticeship funding. This has far-reaching consequences for professional firms, training providers and higher education institutions.

What a pleasure it was to meet in person at the recent ICAEW HEI Conference! The value of face-to-face connection was immediately evident in the quality of our discussions and the energy in the room. There's something irreplaceable about being together physically that enhances our sense of community and shared purpose.

Personal financial planning can feel overwhelming, especially when the jargon sounds more like it belongs in a boardroom than in your everyday life. But whether you’re earning your first salary, navigating self-employment, or planning your retirement, financial literacy isn't just a “nice to have”, it’s fundamental.

It’s that time of year again. The frenetic experience that is marking and exam boards is slowly fading from the memory and the glorious celebration that is graduation still lies ahead. It can mean only one thing – the ICAEW Higher Education Institutions (HEI) Conference is on hand to brighten our day, and to give us food for thought to inspire our preparation over the summer.

On Monday 14 July at Chartered Accountants’ Hall, we hosted the annual Higher Education Institutions (HEI) Conference – a flagship event for academic partners within the ICAEW Partner in Learning Programme. The conference is open to Partners in Learning across the globe and we had attendees on the day representing over 50 HEIs. The conference serves as a vital touchpoint between ICAEW and our Partners in Learning, offering a chance to collaborate, share best practices, explore emerging trends and strengthen the link between education and the evolving world of accountancy.