Newport-based Acorn, Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants have joined forces to deliver a Higher Apprenticeship in Accounting which includes the ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business.

This Higher Apprenticeship is suitable for individuals working within an accountancy-based role or environment, such as account managers or accounting technicians, and could be fully funded based upon individuals meeting eligibility criteria.

The new course, which will be delivered at Cardiff Met’s Llandaff campus, is due to begin at the end of September 2017.

Learners will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical exercises and one-to-one visits in the workplace, and will be expected to complete 40 hours of classroom-based tuition for each exam over a duration of 10 weeks. Acorn will also provide 8-hour revision sessions per exam.

If the ACCA element is successfully achieved, learners can progress onto the second year/Level 5 of Cardiff Met’s BA (Hons) Accounting.

Sarah John, Acorn’s commercial director and chairman of the National Training Federation for Wales, said: “We believe that this course will be extremely beneficial to those hoping to take the next step in their career in finance. By combining classroom time with workplace learning, participants will be able to apply their studies to their own roles as they go, making the course beneficial for learners and employers alike.”

Four modules compose the ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business, each developing knowledge and understanding of the subject in a specific field. Together, they provide the apprentices with a full picture of accounting in a variety of business contexts.

Modules will include: Accountant in Business; Management Accounting; Financial Accounting; and Foundation in Professionalism, which is carried out online. In addition to this, the Apprenticeship gives delegates their Employee Rights & Responsibility (ERR) and Essential Skills (Level 2 in Communication and in Application of Number) qualifications.

Siân Rees, director of Enterprise at Cardiff School of Management, said: “We’re delighted to work with Acorn again to design and deliver another Higher Apprenticeship course, and we’re particularly excited to work with the ACCA to be able to make a significant difference to people’s careers within the financial industry. Higher Apprenticeships are gaining more and more recognition year-on-year as an essential development tool for professionals to grow, and we’re delighted to offer these opportunities within a variety of sectors.”

Lloyd Powell, head of ACCA Cymru, said: “We believe that these modules will give learners the skills that they need thrive in the industry. The course has been tailor-made to ensure that their time is valuably spent, learning more about their own professional role and the industry in general.”

The new Higher Apprenticeship in Accounting is one of many training courses both Acorn and Cardiff Metropolitan University now deliver together, having launched the Foundation Degree in Applied Professional Practice in 2013, and the Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management earlier this year.

It is supported by the European Social Fund.

For more details visit: http://www.acornlearning.co.uk/apprenticeships/apprentices/wales