Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard in Assistant Accountant

You will need to be in a relevant role and show a willingness to undertake the knowledge, skills and behaviours required. You will also need to have Level Two Maths and English (GCSE at Grade Four/C or above or equivalent) or be prepared to attend a block study period for Maths and English if this is required. Ideally, you will have already completed the AAT Foundation level in Accounting.

You may be required to attend an interview and undertake relevant skills assessments. Once you have been accepted onto the programme you will be required to attend a Lincoln College Induction.

Assessment

Assessment is done through a combination of practical tasks, written assignments, oral discussions and online tests throughout the programme. To ensure that we can support you to meet these, we will complete an in-depth initial skills analysis to ensure that we can tailor our delivery to meet these unique requirements. We will then use the most relevant delivery methods to support you which include:

• One-to-one support from a dedicated, professional assessor/instructor allocated to you for the duration of the programme.

• Work based assignments and projects to be completed in an e-portfolio.

• Case studies and in College course days as and when required for each learner

• Job shadowing and mentoring, cross training in other departments.

• Employer led in-house training.

• Independent learning and research as directed by the assessor, relevant to the area of study.

• Review of progress every four to ten weeks with you, your manager and Assessor, evaluating and contributing to what has been learnt and what the next steps to take are.

End Point Assessment

There will be an End Point Assessment (EPA) as the final stage of an Apprenticeship. You must demonstrate your learning to an independent end point assessor and the overall grade available is distinction, pass or fail.

The end-point assessment has two components

• Synoptic end-test covering the knowledge and skills gained throughout the on- programme stage and detailed in the standard.

• Portfolio and reflective discussion which will comprise a range of evidence produced in the work-place to show that you have met the knowledge, skills and behaviours detailed in the standard. The reflective discussion will be a structured interview to examine this evidence and the learner journey in more detail.

Qualifications

You will be required to take the professional qualification Level Three Diploma in Accounting

Progression

As well as ensuring full competency as an Assistant Accountant, this standard provides the foundation for progression into a number of career paths in the Accounting sector including Audit Trainee, Corporate Recovery Analyst, Credit Controller or Tax Accountant.

You will require general stationery items and access to the internet; PC's are available on campus.

Lincoln College have facilities at Lincoln and Newark to deliver training to apprentices. High quality of teaching by qualified and experienced industry experts; an excellent balance of theory and practical sessions. Training can be delivered on a 1:1 basis in the workplace, day release or bespoke training programmes to meet your requirements. The Apprentice can choose to undertake the qualification at either the Lincoln or Newark campus on a day release basis. Our employers are actively involved in the training with assessments carried out in the workplace. Through partnership collaboration your apprentice’s progression and development will be supported and reviewed regularly through face to face and remote contact through the use of an e-portfolio.

Business Awareness

• Understands the transactional processes and support provided by accountancy firms or the accounting function within an organisation.

• Understands their organisation's business strategy including customer and supplier needs, in order to produce relevant and compliant financial information.

• Is aware of how their role fits in with the wider organisation and sector they are working in.

IT Systems and Processes

• Understands how to enter accounting transactions, perform a reconciliation, correct errors and produce a range of reports using a computerised accounting system.

• Understands the systems and process of the organisation, within the responsibility of the position such as Sales, Purchase and Payroll.

• Understands the use of all relevant office and accounting packages used within their organisation, relevant to their job role.

Ethical Standards

• Understands the relevant Ethical Standards to protect their own and their organisation's professional reputation and integrity.

• Understands the importance of upholding relevant codes of conduct.

Financial Accounting and Reporting

• Understands the basic elements of double entry bookkeeping and accounting standards required to process financial documents and report financial information to users of accounts.

• Understands the current financial standards for basic accounts preparation, in order to be able to make necessary end of year adjustments.

• Understands what is required to draft final accounts.

• Understands how to account for the purchase and disposal of non-current assets.

• Understands the basic tax principles to apply current regulations to calculate VAT and submit a VAT return.

Management Accounting

• Understands how to recognise and use different accounting approaches and is able to gather, analyse and report information about income and expenditure to support decision-making, planning and control.

Analysis

• Effectively records and analyses financial data at the appropriate level using the organisation’s standard tools and processes.

• Communicates to all stakeholders to aid decision making to add value to the organisation, within the responsibility of the position.

Communication

• Works both independently and as part of a team within the organisation’s standards; competently demonstrates an ability to communicate both in writing and orally at all levels, using a range of tools and demonstrating strong interpersonal skills and cultural awareness when dealing with internal and external customers.

• Demonstrates the ability to communicate financial information in a way that non- finance staff can interpret and understand.

Produces Quality and Accurate Information

• Consistently delivers high quality, ‘right first time’ financial and performance data in a timely fashion in line with the organisation’s requirements, to aid decision making and planning.

Uses Systems and Processes

• Demonstrates the ability to identify the appropriate systems and processes to work productively in order to complete required tasks.

• Demonstrates competent use of office and accounting packages.

• Able to maintain the security of accounting information using passwords and backup routines.

Problem Solving

• Applies techniques to both common and non-routine problems, analysing where required and selecting the appropriate tools and techniques to produce solutions.

• Escalates or seeks guidance and support where appropriate

Attention to Detail

• The ability to examine data to identify issues.

• The ability to reconcile data to minimise the chance of errors.

• The ability to plan and review work.

• Recognise and rectify errors.

Communication

• Deals effectively with a range of stakeholders using appropriate communication methods to deliver accurate and timely results.

• Avoids jargon and uses the correct technical terms where appropriate.

• Demonstrates good listening and speaking skills to be able to communicate effectively in the right manner.

Uses Systems and Processes

• Utilises relevant office/accounting software packages to input and manage data accurately.

• Ability to maintain the security of accounting information using passwords and other appropriate security measures.

Personal Effectiveness

• Ability to organise self, and prioritise workload/activity to meet deadlines.

• Actively identifies team workload problems and offers to support peers where appropriate.

• Ability to understand issues beyond own remit.

Embracing Change

• Accepts changing priorities and working requirements readily and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing environment.

Adding Value

• Identifies opportunities to actively engage in the wider business when appropriate.

• Provides information that positively contributes to influencing business decisions whilst continually striving to improve own working processes and those of the organisation.

Ethics and Integrity

• Applies a transparent and objective manner in all actions and interactions to ensure that they meet the ethical requirements of the profession.

Personal Accountability

• Takes the initiative for own personal development.

• Proactively takes responsibility for completing tasks and meeting expectations.

• Consistently prioritises in order to achieve timely outcomes.

Productivity

• Organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines.

• Performs professionally in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary.

Team working and Collaboration

• Consistently supports colleagues & collaborates to achieve results.

• Aware of their role within the team & their impact on others.

Employers have designed the Apprenticeship Standards to meet the needs of the sector and industry. Ensuring they include:

• Relevant Knowledge, skills and behaviours ensure that the Standard is relevant to the occupation.

• Widening participation Apprenticeship standards provide opportunities to employees that may not previously have been available.

• Development tools A cost effective way to train your employees to undertake specific roles in your business.

• Return on Investment On average, an apprentice who has completed their course will increase business productivity by £214 per week (CEBR, 2015).

As an Apprentice, you will pay no course fees. However, your employer may have to pay towards your training as well as provide you with a wage. All Apprentices are entitled to the national minimum apprentice wage within their first year of training from their employer, although they can, and often do, pay more. In the second and subsequent years of an Apprenticeship programme, if you are aged 19 or over, the national minimum wage for your age would apply [https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates]

If you are an employer and want to find out more information regarding employer contributions and any further costs related to the Apprenticeship programme, please contact our dedicated Apprenticeship team at [email protected]