Institute releases Position Paper for CPA qualifying process reform

(HONG KONG, 4 January 2017) The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, after completion of a three-month public consultation on the enhanced CPA qualifying process, released today the Position Paper on the new Qualification Programme ("QP"). The Position Paper sets out the final content, structure and design of the new QP, which will be launched in June 2019.

According to Mabel Chan, president of the Institute, it is imperative that the CPA qualifying process not only trains professional accountants to meet current needs but also prepares them for the future. "In pursuance of its Sixth Long Range Plan, the Institute ensures its CPA qualification is in step with the continual changes in business needs and professional markets in Hong Kong as well as international best practices," she says.

The proposed new QP is the result of consultations with major employers, academia, education providers and practitioners, in addition to an extensive review by independent consultants from a top-tier overseas accountancy body and a major international accounting firm, adds Chan.

The new QP will comprise three progressive levels with 14 modules and an integrated final examination. It offers alternative pathways and greater flexibility for students with different educational backgrounds, including sub-degree holders and non-accounting majors, to become CPAs. This could attract more students from other disciplines to join the accountancy profession which is important in developing a sustainable talent pool of accounting professionals.

"Despite the change of entry level, the exit level of the new QP remains at the highest standard to ensure graduates have the required professional knowledge and ethical quality. A wider discipline also addresses the fact that nowadays, accountants are performing even more versatile roles, exceeding traditional functions to become experts in areas such as data analytics and performance management to help business growth," says Chan.

To garner input from stakeholders about the new QP, the Institute conducted eight information sessions and a questionnaire survey. "In response to the consultation paper, the Institute received 11 written responses and more than 160 online responses. In general, there is a strong support for the new QP and its proposed changes to the CPA qualifying process. With due consideration of all views received, the Institute came up with the Position Paper for the new QP," says Raphael Ding, chief executive of the Institute.

The new QP will increase emphasis on developing and assessing higher-order enabling skills such as problem solving, critical and lateral thinking to enhance students' ability to identify complex problems including aspects of ethical dilemma and to develop professional solutions. "This aims to train professional accountants with the necessary skills to deal competently with professional type situations, thereby improving their employability in the market," adds Ding.

Jonathan Ng, the Institute's Executive Director in Qualification and Education, explains the structure of new QP as follows:

"In designing the new QP, the Institute has adopted a holistic approach to setting the standards required for a CPA at the point of qualification," says Ng. "We have devised the CPA competence blueprint, which comprehensively sets out the learning outcomes for both technical and enabling competences (i.e. knowledge, skills and values) with indicated level of proficiency and context for development." 

New Qualification Programme position paper

新專業資格課程  培養未來人才

公會發布改革考取會計師資格進程的立場書

(香港，二零一七年一月四日) — 香港會計師公會就提升考取會計師資格的進程完成三個月的公眾諮詢，今天發布新專業資格課程(QP)的立場書，列出於 2019 年 6月推行新 QP 的最終內容、架構及設計。

公會會長陳美寶女士稱，考取會計師資格的進程不但必須訓練專業會計師應對目前的需要，還須裝備他們面對未來。她說：「根據第六個長遠計劃，公會確保其會計師資格與香港商業社會要求和專業市場的持續轉變保持同步，並符合國際最佳標準。」

陳女士補充說，為推行新 QP，我們與僱主、學術界、教育機構及會計從業員磋商，並委託一間頂尖海外會計組織及一間主要國際會計師事務所作獨立顧問，全面檢討各項內容。

新 QP 由三個漸進水平的 14 個單元及一個整合期終考試組成，為不同教育背景的學生提供更大的靈活度和多個途徑晉身成為專業會計師。不論是副學士畢業生或非主修會計的大學生，他們均有機會成為會計師(CPA)。此舉能吸引更多其他學科的學生加入會計專業，對持續鞏固會計專業人才庫非常重要。

陳女士表示：「雖然擴闊了新 QP 的入學資格，但我們堅持最高培訓標準，以確保畢業生具備所需的專業知識和操守。而吸納不同學科的學生，亦反映現今會計師已超越傳統職能，須肩負更多元化的角色，例如擔當數據分析和績效管理等範疇的專家，協助公司業務發展。」

為了收集相關團體對新 QP 的意見，公會舉辦了八場資訊簡報會和進行一項問卷調查。公會行政總裁丁偉銓先生說：「公會收到 11 份對諮詢文件的書面回覆和超過 160 份網上回覆。它們一般對新 QP 和考取會計師資格進程的改革建議表示非常支持。公會慎重考慮所有意見後，為新 QP 制訂了立場書。」

新 QP 將更強調發展及評估高水平的技能，如解決問題的能力、批判思維和橫向思考，以增加學生處理複雜問題的能力，包括道德判斷，以及為僱主制訂專業方案。丁先生補充說：「這旨在培訓專業會計師具備所需技能，在各種專業問題上皆展現其勝任能力，從而提升他們在市場上的價值，更切合僱主的需要。」

公會專業資格及教育執行總監伍大成先生解釋新 QP 的架構如下：

伍先生表示：「公會在設計新QP時，採取整體性的方法，制訂會計師在考獲資格時所須達到的標準。我們設計會計師能力藍圖，全面地列出技術和通用能力（即知識、技能和價值）的學習成果，並列明純熟的程度和發展的內容。」