An evaluation of competency development in accounting trainees

ABSTRACT

Studies consistently report that accounting graduates and graduates more generally do not have the generic skills expected by employers. This study considers the perspective of UK graduates and non-graduates training for the Certified Institute of Management Accounting professional accountancy qualification. The study uses questionnaire and interview data to compare trainee perceptions of their level of competency in 16 generic skills and draws on the constructivist theory of learning to examine whether the training opportunities available to them have had an impact on their perception of their own competency. The findings of the study suggest that for the majority of skills, competency deficiencies cannot be attributed solely to deficiencies in training opportunities and in particular to those offered within a degree. The findings suggest that whilst there may be scope to enhance training opportunities for generic skills development, employers should look beyond the perceived deficiencies in higher education if they wish to improve competency.

KEYWORDS:

• Generic skills
• employers’ perceptions
• trainee management accountants
• skills gap
• learning framework
• competency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. These skills are also referred to in the literature as non-technical or personal competencies (Bui & Porter, 2010; Jackson & Chapman, 2012), vocational (Arquero Montano et al., 2001) or employability skills (Stoner & Milner, 2010).