Enhance your technology know-how for free via online courses available to ICAEW CFAB and ACA students from ICAEW and partner organisations.
Learning about the latest technologies, their risks and opportunities is becoming a major part of our qualifications and syllabus. That’s because, as a student, you’ll be expected to use many of these smart solutions in your career, from data analytics to risk assessment.
To help sharpen your skills, there’s a wide range of training and support available, both through ICAEW and externally.
Here’s a quick guide to ways you can boost your technology knowledge and skills, and help you get the essential training you need.
Win at Excel
If pivot tables are making your head spin, we’re offering free Excel training for students until the end of 2020. This includes access to Students’ Excel, a free online training course designed specifically for ACA students developed by online training specialists Filtered.
Almost 1,200 students have joined our Excel Community. The average engaged student spends around three hours training and will move from an Excel IQ level of Beginner to Competent.
You can also get practical advice and guidance from a panel of industry experts, along with video tutorials, text and practice exercises 24/7, the ability to navigate straight to training on a specific skill, and obtain personal Excel IQ scores before and after training with the Excel Community.
To access the Excel Community, you need access to Faculties Online. Find out more about the Excel Community
It isn’t the only Community that could help you brush up on your IT skills. For example, the ICAEW Data Analytics community gives you access to a curated programme of digital learning, use cases, subject matter experts and community resources covering all the essential aspects of data analytics.
Become a Xero hero
Students can complete a series of courses and certifications for free from Xero, one of world’s largest and best known cloud accounting software providers. They’re available to everyone, although students have exclusive access to a structured learning journey.
“One of the highest in-demand skills is the ability to keep up with technological changes in your profession – with cloud accounting being a major disruptor to traditional accounting,” ICAEW’s Anna Maria Itsiou.
You can begin your learning with the Xero Advisor Certification and continue with eight follow-up courses on Practice tools and App Advisory. The certificate takes eight hours to complete, but there’s no rush – you can progress at your own pace.
Finance in a Digital World
If you don’t know the difference between natural language processing and machine learning, or what a blockchain is, or how predictive analytics works, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
To help, ICAEW and Deloitte have joined forces to develop Finance in a Digital World, a suite of online learning modules to support students through the complex world of cognitive technologies.
It promises to help you develop awareness and build understanding of digital technologies and their impact on finance using videos, animations, case studies and interactive exercises.
The flexible eLearning course is free to access for ICAEW members and students. All you need is your student number to login.
In-house expertise
The ACA has evolved over the last few years to place a greater emphasis on new technologies that are becoming central to audit and accounting functions.
Often the best way to stay on top of the latest buzz is to tap into the major font of knowledge that is the ICAEW’s in-house tech function.
The ICAEW Tech Faculty keeps subscribers up-to-date with IT issues and development. It also provides expert input to developing the content of our ACA qualification.
To access the Tech Faculty, you’ll need access to Faculties Online. Find out more
Head to the library
Like all good institutions, our library is packed with resources. The data analytics section is a goldmine for digital finance and data strategy resources, packed with insights on their practical application in business.
ACA students have access to all the content in the ICAEW library, including restricted content, free of charge via our website. Bear in mind that USS and ICAEW CFAB students only have access to what is freely open to all.