USQ bridging demand for overseas accountants

Bridging courses provided by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) are helping to meet the increasing demand for accountants in Australia.

A number of professional development courses are offered by USQ that overseas students can take to ensure their qualifications are recognised by CPA Australia, National Institute of Accountants (NIA) and the Institute of Charted Accountants Australia (ICAA).

Professional Development Manager from the Faculty of Business at USQ, Del Cottam, said the University has been providing bridging courses to enable students from overseas to upgrade their qualifications to apply for membership of the professional bodies.

'Students with overseas degree qualifications in commerce, business, accounting or versions of accounting courses can study recognised courses in preparation to work as accountants in Australia,' Mrs Cottam said.

'USQ is meeting the needs of the students to do bridging courses to meet the requirements for CPA Australia, ICAA and NIA.

'We have extensive experience in providing courses leading to membership of professional accounting associations in Australia.'

Overseas students' qualifications are assessed by professional bodies to determine if they are comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree. Once this has been assessed they can enrol in the required courses to gain associate membership.

A CPA Australia report from 2006 indicated employer demand for accountants across the nation is strong and the Australian accounting industry is increasingly reliant on migrant accountants to fill positions.

'Numbers of professional accountants have really grown and the accounting profession is flourishing,' Mrs Cottam said.

'Much of the growth in the accounting workforce is attributed to recently arrived migrants.

'They can study by distance education in continuing and professional education giving students the opportunity to study regardless of location and to continue meeting other commitments such as work, family or travel.

'We have a simple enrolment process; all they have to do is link to the website www.usq.edu.au/conted/overseasacct  to enrol.'

Overseas students looking to upgrade their accounting qualifications to meet requirements for membership of Australian professional bodies can contact USQ on +61 7 4631 2720 or email cpe@usq.edu.au for further information.

Media Contact: Jane Urquhart USQ Media +61 7 4631 2559