High school students converge on USQ for Careers Day

Professor Peter Best

Students from across the region will learn that accounting's not all tax talk and number crunching when they attend this year’s Accounting Students' Careers Day at USQ tomorrow (February 18).

Jointly sponsored by CPA Australia and the University, the annual event is now in its eighth year and continues to attract hundreds of local high school students and their teachers.

Head of the Accounting, Economics & Finance School, Professor Peter Best, said the accounting careers day has become so successful that it’s now an essential event on local school calendars.

'For the past two years, student attendance has been around 200. This year, we have more than 300 registrations from 13 schools - this is a 50 percent increase. The support of business teachers in the region should be acknowledged,' Professor Best said.

Students attending the Careers Day will hear presentations from speakers who have used their accounting qualifications to forge successful and exciting careers in the diverse areas of accounting and business leadership.

The program will include a panel of young professionals who will answer questions on their experiences.

'This is in response to feedback that students are interested in the basics as well as the more exotic potential careers available in accounting,” Professor Best said.

During the event USQ will officially launch The WHK Financial Analysis Challenge for 2010. Professor Peter Best, said the Challenge was an exciting initiative that would engage students in a realistic challenge.

'The competition provides an ongoing real-world finance-related exercise for students, aligned with the Year 12 accounting curriculum and highlighting career options in accounting and finance,' Professor Best said.

'Fantastic prizes exceeding $7,000 are on offer for students and competing schools.'

The Challenge requires teams to prepare and present a financial analysis that would form the basis for a future information service that could be provided by WHK to its clients. The Challenge is open to all Queensland high school students.

A number of early registrations have been taken including those from prominent private high schools in Brisbane.

The CPA Australia will again sponsor the CPA Australia Forensic Investigation competition, held during the Careers Day, which is valued at $1,000.

The event will be held in the Allison Dickson lecture theatre from 9am until 3pm.

Contact Details:
Connie-Louise Alexander, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977 or 0400 025 429