Companies asked to give young accountants placements for practical experience

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) Chief Executive Officer Derrick Nkajja has implored established companies to give fresh accounting graduands placements as a venue to gain practical experience.

Speaking at the graduation of 370 professional accountants on Friday in Kampala, Nkajja said some companies were not willing to offer places for practical experience to young people yet many of them have their finance departments understaffed.

He said an accountant is never a full accountant if they have no practical experience.

The students graduated with qualifications of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (CPA-U) course, the Accounting Technicians Diploma (ATD), and the Certified Tax Advisor (CTA) course.

The graduands have increased the pool of professional accountants in Uganda to now 3,886. This number is still below the more than 8,000 professional accountants the country needs.

Shortages give room for quack accountants to bloom putting the profession’s integrity on the line.

Derrick Kiwanuka, the young accountant of the year chosen to give a keynote address, told the graduands to be patient and value personal planning.

Drawing from personal experience, he said their attitude would determine how far they can go.

He said promotions and jobs might not come immediately instead the graduands must push harder.

Professional courses are known to help accountants advance in their careers. ICPAU says that last year, they commissioned a graduate tracer study to ascertain the career progress of CPA-U graduates as well as their impact in the organisations in which they serve.

Some 65.5% of the graduates reported positive career progression since graduation, the institute said.

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