Professional Accounting Technician Level 4

Individuals in the role of a Professional Accounting Technician will have responsibility for creating, and / or verifying and reviewing, accurate and timely financial information within the organisation in which they are employed or on behalf of another organisation. This will be performed in order to meet relevant ethical, professional and legal standards, and will utilise the individual’s knowledge of the business systems and processes, as well as standard accounting and tax practices. This role may exist in an accounting practice, a professional services company, HMRC or the accounting function of a business or other organisation.

Examples of roles as a Professional Accounting Technician include, but are not limited to, Assistant Auditor, Assistant Management Accountant, Assistant Financial Accountant, Accounts Payable and Expenses Supervisor, Commercial Analyst, Payroll Manager, Senior Bookkeeper and Senior Financial Officer.

The apprenticeship consists of three main elements:

Knowledge
Technical knowledge of accounting
Business awareness
Ethical standards
Regulation and compliance
Systems and processes
Skills
Analysis
Communication
Leadership
Planning and prioritisation
Producing quality and accurate information
Team working and collaboration
Using systems and processes
Behaviours
Adaptability
Adding value
Ethics & integrity
Proactivity
Professional scepticism

End Point Assessment
Once the candidate has completed the training programme and the tutor, the employer and the candidate all agree that all the elements have been completed and achieved, the candidate will undergo an ‘End Point Assessment’ (EPA) undertaken by a third party organisation. The EPA has two elements:

Portfolio and reflective statement
During the training programme, the candidate will develop a portfolio of Training Logs relating to each progress review period. At the end of the training programme the candidate will produce a reflective statement which can be achieved in a number of ways, including: a written statements, a presentation or a structured discussion with the Independent Assessor. If a presentation or discussion, the event will be recorded. This flexibility enables the candidate and employer to choose the most suitable format for them. The Reflective Statement will cover what the candidate has done, how and why they have done it and reflect on anything they would have done differently or have learned through the process.

Role simulation
The role simulation assesses the application of knowledge, skills and behaviours learned through the whole apprenticeship. Prior to the event the candidate will be given access to information about a fictitious organisation. This will contain basic information such as excerpts from their accounts, organisation chart and some emails/memos on the organisation’s plans or issues. Candidates will have time to digest this information, discuss it with their colleagues and if ncessary acces tutorials to familiarise them with how the simluation works.

The simulation itself then takes place in a controlled environment approved by the End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) and is invigilated and timed. During the simulation the candidate is presented with additional information and asked to complete a set of tasks designed to assess a range of knowledge, skills and behaviours covered during the training programme.