Although not the only measure, pass rates are a key indicator for all centres. Anglia Accountancy training have had excellent pass rates throughout the years (full details here). We are very pleased to confirm that we have continued this success with the new QCF qualification using the Computer Based Assessments. We have sustained our high performance rates having now held in excess of 500 exams.

Exams of special note are Accounts Preparation 2 for our Level 3 students. All our students successfully passed these. The assessment that has tested the students’ knowledge the most, at the lower levels, is Costs and Revenue. As always the students have found the concepts of costing difficult. However we are pleased to have a pass rate of 89% in comparison to a national average in the 70’s.

Our level 4 results have so far been encouraging despite the fact that our candidates did suffer from the December computer problems at AAT. Personal Tax caused considerable trepidation but the results do highlight our continuing success at this level.

Most of our students have coped well with the change to computer based exams. They certainly like the “instant” results! Exam success can only improve as we travel along the learning curve together.

For most of the last 15 years AAt have been able to offer Apprenticeships to all its students under the age of 25. AAt is now potentially able to extend this service to all students irrespective of age. (Although we are waiting for final confirmation of this). We hope to offer all our courses to all our students via the apprenticeship program. This will mean that if your staff are accepted onto a programme we will be able to reduce our charges by up to 75% and 50% in most cases.

Under the new program these are the costs:

• Under 19: Free
• Level 2: £250
• Level 3: £500
• Level 4: £750

But there’s a down side! To qualify students:

• Are likely to have to do the “Key Skills” qualification in addition to their AAT course,
• Must not have other qualification like a degree or other NVQ’s,
• Must have the support of their employers
• Three monthly work place visits are required.

So as you can see it will be amazing to offer the Apprenticeship scheme to all students but our students and employers will have to commit to fulfilling their side of the deal.

The awards
It was a great lunchtime event with awards going to many different students. A special award went to Ben Mawford who is the level 3 student of the year. In presenting him with his award, Jason Cannon from AAt said, “Throughout the year he was an extremely hard-working and diligent student and especially helpful to others”.

The prestigious prize of level 4 student of the year went to Claire Marks. Claire has been with us for two years completing intermediate and hopefully her level 4 when the final results come out. Jenny said of her, “Claire works and brings up her children single handedly. She has worked extremely hard in these difficult circumstances. All staff agreed Claire was an outstanding candidate.”

Saying goodbye to Sally
The event was also a sad event. After 15 years we were all saying goodbye to Sally Tebbs. Sally, who works for Boston College, has been AAt’s training advisor since we started in 1996. She has travelled thoughout the area from Grantham to Stanstead Airport from Market Harborough to Hunstanton. Sally is known in every Accountancy practice in the region and most accounting departments. She has been involved in the training of over 500 young accountants. Victor Gidney said when presenting her with some going away presents, “We are really sad to see her go,” says Victor from AAt, “She is irreplaceable and we wish her well and I hope she will move on to higher and better things at her College.” Sally will be missed by all and we wish her the best for her future and remind her that there will always be a warm welcome for her at AAt.

Sally said, “For the past 15 years I have thoroughly enjoyed my work with a professional and welcoming team that always treated me as a ‘member of the family’. All the students, both young and old are treated equally at AAt and many of the comments I would receive about the AAt services during one to one meetings (with students and their employers) were positive. In fact, the results at AAt speak for themselves. I always appreciated being fully involved in all the operations at AAt and I know my contribution has been valued. I am completely confident that the service I provided will be effectively taken up by the team at AAt.” Sally says, “Never say never, I’ll be back!”

A new era
As we move into this new era, apprenticeship schemes will be opened up to all ages. AAt will be adding new funding partners to its portfolio. The new providers will give all our employers and students more flexible options when deciding on their training. AAt staff will now be taking over the responsibility of visiting students and conducting work place reviews.

As for the new courses the changes have addressed many of the weaknesses of the old NVQ process and consolidated on the challenges of accounting in today’s working environment. Foundation has become Certificate Level 2, Intermediate Level 3 becomes Diploma Level 3 and Technician become Diploma Level 4. A brief introduction to what these changes actually mean follows.

Foundation becomes Certificate Level 2
The Foundation course was a solid qualification ensuring all students were fully competent in Sales, Purchase and Nominal Ledger. But its ”belt and braces” to the extensive portfolio made it an onerous process to complete. The new Certificate Level 2 maintains the qualification’s integrity covering all the same subject areas with a much more straightforward assessment approach. Computerised accounts and a business unit still remain.

Intermediate Level 3 becomes Diploma Level 3
The Intermediate Level 3 has always been rather limited in content, especially if you had already completed the Foundation element. The new Diploma Level 3 addresses these problems. VAT has now become its own separate subject, whilst Final Accounting for Sole Trader and Partnerships remains, as does the Costing paper. Spreadsheets, dropped in 2003, have been re-introduced reflecting their importance in today’s business operating environment. A Cash Management unit which is based around cash flow forecasting has also been added at this level. Finally we look at Professional Ethics which have become a major issue over the past few years with high profile problems in the business world such as Enron, the banking crisis and, of course, the MP’s expenses! With the changes, Professional Ethics has finally been consolidated into the course bringing AAT in line with all other accountancy exam boards.

Technician becomes Diploma Level 4
The new Diploma Level replaces Technician. In this case, the subject content and structure of the level has barely changed. The optional units of Credit Control and Audit have become more specialised, and the Project, the nemesis of many students, still remains.

Our team at Anglia Accountancy training looks forward to putting the new improved AAT courses into action this coming academic year. Full details of all units can be found here and we will of course be guiding students through the changes.

Now is the best time you’ll ever have to finish off that final project! The new AAT courses replaced the previous NVQ structure in September 2010 and time is running out before your previous units may be affected meaning you won’t qualify to complete. Now is your chance to slay that dragon and complete your final unit. Don’t lose your chance to get your MAAT! It is just £299 to complete your AAT course with an average commitment of 4 hours per week. You can even work from home to complete this unit. Transition from other providers is easy and remember that the ‘Project’ is a prerequisite to further study. Irene’s story is a great example of how simple it could be to complete the ‘Project’ with AAt’s help.

Irene finished all other units of the AAT in 2007 with another AAT training provider. But when they moved from Peterborough things became a little more complicated for Irene’s final unit. Irene’s first attempt halted half way when the provider lost part of her work. Discouraged Irene let it slip. And if you let things lapse for too long your work can go out of date. This happened in Irene’s case who was very disheartened when a colleague recommended AAt.

Irene made contact with AAt in late December 2009. In January one of AAt’s Accountancy Training Advisors rang back to discuss Irene’s individual needs. Irene started in February and finished by Easter which is a testament to what can be achieved with the right support. According to Irene, the transfer process from one provider to the next was straightforward. In fact, this was the least of Irene’s worries - “The whole thing was managed brilliantly by AAt.”

“The help was practical and just what you need when you are also working full time.” This is a written project that may seem complex. But Irene felt AAt took it all step by step and offered long term guidance. And Irene speaks from experience. Her first attempt involved getting on with it single handedly, working her way through a 350 page manual – something you won’t get at AAt! Contrasting it with the AAt, Irene says, “The support throughout ‘the project’ was excellent. The training advisor came to my work to get me started and to see how I was doing throughout.”

“The support from AAt in this challenging final unit was top notch. I found the local support much more suited to me. I’d certainly recommend AAt to others, especially if, like I had, you have just one more unit to go.”

To those with this final unit to go, Irene says, “It’s definitely worth doing. It would be a shame to not to get your MAAT over just one unit!” Irene is an Accounts Preparation Assistant at Rawlinson’s. Working in the book keeping department Irene does monthly management accounts, VAT returns and prepares year end accounts for sole traders and partnerships. Over 25, Irene paid for her own training and persevered through Foundation, Intermediate and now Technician level. Irene has her eyes set on being a chartered accountant saying, “It’s just another two years of study after all!”

This is of course down to the commitment of the students together with the contribution of teaching staff in classes and exam preparation. AAt students consistently perform higher than the national average, a true credit to AAt staff and students.

By the time the students returned in September AAt had moved house. Well, sort of! Same old building but with a brand new layout which houses classrooms, dedicated IT suites for computer based learning and exams, new interactive smart boards, shiny new entrance and new office.

“AAt moved to a new part of the building just in time for the return of the students. Having agreed a new design, layout and dedicated AAt entrance we’ve been given a face lift! We are pleased to report that our students will benefit from new classrooms and up-to-the-minute teaching equipment,” says Victor Gidney of AAt.

However,  very often when change occurs there can be resistance and we carried out action research to assess the impact on AAt and its students. Before the students had experienced the CBA, just 16% believed that computers were easier to use but after they had performed a practice CBA this increased to 83%. But 100% of the students who took part believed that paper based assessment demonstrates competency better. This was partly down to being able to show workings on paper. The AAT states that by using realistic ledgers and tables, it reflects the workplace due to more companies using computerised accounting packages as opposed to manual accounting systems. AAt students did not agree with this. The research highlighted that there were negatives but these were considerably outweighed by positives.

Nine positives:
1. You get your exam results straight away!
2. The layout is easier to understand
3. Minimal sheets to flick between
4. The Cashbook is all on one page
5. It is more to the point and a lot more fun
6. It assesses what you need to do more, not the balance brought forward and carried forward which takes extra time
7. Questions are flagged so you can go back to what you are not sure about and you know if you have missed a question
8. It involves less writing
9. CBAs have made learning more accessible to all. Screen resolutions and colours can be changed. Software can be installed for deaf and blind students. Dyslexic students find using a keyboard and screen easier.

Just three negatives:
1. Unable to mark the the bank reconciliation on screen so it is unclear to read
2. Harder to follow as the simulation does not follow on task by task
3. Students believe there is more chance of error on the CBA than on paper based exams

To overcome these problems students have been encouraged to use scrap paper to work out answers, as they would on a manual exam before inputting the data into the computer.

Change may be difficult but it’s something we should encourage ourselves to do for the good of progress. Also AAT will continuously be working on improving their CBA’s and student feedback will help them to achieve this.

Gill first joined AAt as a student in 1998.
“I’d worked in various accounting roles since I was 16. When my daughter Anna moved back to England from Germany, we thought we’d go and do the course together as a way of supporting each other. It was a wise career move for Anna and being older, I wanted to prove that I could do it!”

And Gill did just that, completing all levels of the AAT course as soon as she could. Gill proved to be a shining example of what can be achieved when you put your mind to it. Her daughter Anna also completed the course.

Victor Gidney, the main man behind AAt was your teacher, what was he like?
“Victor is quite the teacher! He’s brilliant and brings the lessons to life. Since I’ve been working at AAt I hear him tell all the same jokes to the classes year after year but that’s ok – it’s funny the first time! On a serious note though, he really helps you understand and will take the time to assist you. In fact all the teaching staff were and still are top notch.”

So how did you come to work for AAt?
“While I was doing my AAT I thought I fancied lecturing but after much thought I realised that what I was good at was one-to-one work with students and not handling a whole class.

One day we just got talking and the opportunity to assist AAt with assessing and marking student work was there and I took it. I like to think I was an extra back up that took some of the easier stuff off Victor so he could have a chance to go and do all the clever stuff!”

According to Jenny Gidney, Gill did all of that and more. Jenny described Gill as sociable, a pleasure to be around and a hard worker. Gill just got on with whatever needed to be done whether that was doing what was on her job description through to helping the team move premises – and they’ve had to do a lot of that over the years as AAt has grown!

What was it like working for AAt?
“It was great for me because my field was always accounts and working for AAt was still in familiar territory but it was very different. My role involved coaching and encouraging students. As I was their assessor I could offer guidance when students had difficulty. I loved the different experience I gained at AAt.

Would you recommend AAt?
“I would most certainly recommend AAt. The small classes are great and Victor and Jenny Gidney run AAt like a family. There is a broad range of students that attend AAt but many of them are young, some just out of school. And more mature students need a different kind of support. Victor, Jenny and the team nurture their students and care for them, providing lots more support than they would otherwise get in other college environments.”

So what’s next for you Gill?
“I’m off to Cyprus! My husband and I have a home out there that we bought with the intention of moving when we retired. So though I’m slightly nervous about starting this new phase of life I am also quite excited.”

Victor, Jenny and the team would like to wish Gill the best of luck and thank her immensely  for her contribution to Anglia Accountancy training and the many students that Gill went out of her way to help. Here’s to you having lots of fun in Cyprus!

So, you might ask, why is this happening? Well vocational qualifications are becoming an increasingly popular route to learning and developing. In order to maximise on this and respond to what both employers and learners want out of a qualification the QCF pathway is being introduced. The purpose of this change is to provide a more flexible approach and choice to gaining a full qualification with a credit award system. It will still recognise and reward individual’s skills and achievements, but will ultimately support and benefit both the learner and employer in the delivery of relevant learning.

It will achieve this by breaking the learning process down into smaller steps allowing knowledge to be built up bit by bit. Qualifications will be tailored to meet the needs of the industry each individual works within. And most importantly all work based training will be to a nationally recognised standard.

Based on this new structure the Financial Services Skills Council (FSSC) believes that the QCF pathway delivers a competence based qualification and therefore no longer sees the need for NVQ qualifications. Consequently as of July 2010 all NVQ’s will end.

This change will only affect those new to learning. Those who are already studying under the NVQ or Diploma pathway prior to July 2010 will continue to finish their studies along this route.