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The Association of Certified Project Accountants (ACPA), incorporating the
Association of Certified Corporate Executive Accountants (ACCEA), is a modern
and progressive Qualification Awarding & Professional Membership
Organization devoted to the representation of both Project Accountants and
Corporate Accountants world-wide.
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ACPA was formally incorporated in 2004 and has enjoyed rapid growth under the
strong leadership of our former Chairman Robert Collings. Our success is linked
to our radical approach to examination methods, and the introduction of our
unique web-based Exam-Engine™. Although our origins are in the USA, we’re a
global organization, and have our Administration and Education centres based in
Europe.
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ACPA maintains a clear distinction between Qualifications and Professional
Membership. Qualifications achieved through ACPA do not require you to take up
or maintain Professional Membership. If you wish to gain the ACPA
qualifications without becoming a Member you can register as a Non-Member
Student, however the additional benefits of becoming a Member are significant.
Certified Project Accountants
What is Project Accounting?
Project Accounting is the practice of creating financial reports specifically designed to track
the financial progress of Projects, Programmes, and Portfolios, which can be
used by the Management Team to achieve the organizational strategic objectives.
Standard accounting is primarily aimed at monitoring financial progress of
organizational elements over defined time periods. However; projects differ in
that they frequently cross organizational boundaries, and may last from a few
days or weeks to a number of years. A project may also be one of a number of
projects that make up a larger overall project, programme or portfolio.
Consequently, in a project management environment the tracking and control of
costs and revenues can become extremely complex, and the specialist skills of
the Project Accountant will be required to ensure that the financial reports
reflect a true and fair view of the organizations investment in its projects at
any point in time.
Project Accountants find themselves in all types of organizations and
industries. Many begin their career as trainee accountants for large project
orientated corporations, working within massive project portfolios worth
billions of dollars. Others work for smaller organizations, where projects are
not the mainstay of the business, yet the skills of a Project Accountant are
regarded as essential to the good performance of the business. Typically there
are many types of roles a Project Accountant can work in. Some become Financial
Directors of large project portfolios, some work as consultants specialising in
guiding and directing organisations in the best-practices of project
accounting/management, and some go on to become the CEO’s of large
corporations.
The variety of specialised work available to a Certified Project Accountant is
richly diverse. Once qualified, a Certified Project Accountant can aim for and
achieve the highest positions in both the private and public sectors. Recently,
the trend to recruit CEO’s with project accounting/management qualifications,
skills and experience has sharply increased. At the end of the day it’s up to
the individual Certified Project Accountant as to how far his or her career
will take them. The important fact is that you will have that choice as an ACPA
or FCPA.
Certified Corporate Executive Accountants
What is Corporate Executive Accounting?
Corporate Executive Accounting is the practice of creating financial and management reports
concerning the organisation for both external and internal users. Corporate
Executive Accounting is concerned with reporting the financial position and
business health of the organisation. In addition it involves the process of
identifying, measuring, analysing, interpreting, and communicating information
for the pursuit of the organization’s objectives. Corporate Executive
Accountants represent a critical and integral part of; the strategic decision
making and implementation process at senior board level, and the corporate
governance process which protects the business and its investors.
Corporate Executive Accountants find themselves in all types of organizations
and industries. Many begin their career as trainee accountants for large
corporations worth billions of dollars. Others work for smaller organizations,
where their skills are regarded as essential to the good performance of the
business. Typically there are many types of roles a Corporate Executive
Accountant can work in. Some become the Chief Financial Officers of large
companies, some work as consultants specialising in guiding and directing
organisations in the best-practices of finance, accounting, and management, and
some go on to become the CEO’s of large corporations. Smaller companies too
require these skills and experience, and can still offer Corporate Executive
Accountants lucrative, interesting, and rewarding careers. Corporate Executive
Accountants can also play a vital role in the public sector; offering the
skills required, by local and national government bodies, that can enhance
performance and provide serious added-value to the societies they serve.
The variety of specialised work available to a Certified Corporate Executive
Accountant is richly diverse. Once qualified, a Certified Corporate Executive
Accountant can aim for and achieve the highest positions in both the private
and public sectors. Recently, the trend to recruit CEO’s with these types of
qualifications, skills and experience has sharply increased. At the end of the
day it’s up to the individual Certified Corporate Executive Accountant as to
how far his or her career will take them. The important fact is that you will
have that choice as an ACCEA or FCCEA.
Our Mission
To promote the study and adoption of Project Accounting and Corporate Executive Accounting
throughout all organisations World-Wide.
Objectives
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To provide a global organization for Men and Women, who desire to qualify and
secure professional status as Certified Project Accountants or Certified
Corporate Accountants.
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To do all such things as from time to time may be necessary to maintain and
advance the status and interests of the Students, Members of the Association,
and the Profession of Accounting and Finance.
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To provide a system of examinations, to issue certificates of proficiency and
to increase knowledge and efficiency in Project Accountancy and Corporate
Accountancy.
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To provide opportunities for contact between the Members of the Association and
to form branches for that purpose.
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To provide a bureau for Members seeking employment.
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To encourage and give assistance to people who are desirous of entering the
Profession under the direction of Professional Membership.
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To protect the professional interest of Members.
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To help provide training material and media for Members.
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To provide an ethical code of conduct and a mechanism of self-regulation for
all Members.
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To provide a mechanism for the monitoring of Members academic progress and
Continual Professional Development.
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To do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of
the above objectives or any of them.
eAssessment (Web Based Examinations)
The concept of computer based examinations (CBE), or computer based tests (CBT) is not new.
However, what is new is that ACPA have pioneered the use of this type of
testing methodology across remote sites by utilising the latest Microsoft® Dot
Net Technology. You may be familiar with other organisations that use CBE’s to
test their members, for example, the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (AICPA) conduct their licensing examinations using CBE. The main
difference between “traditional” CBE and the ACPA method is that ACPA Members
in most countries do not need to attend an “examination centre” in order to sit
an exam. They also are not constrained to certain times and dates. ACPA Members
can sit their exams anytime and anywhere they choose. So long as the Member can
access the Internet via a reasonably reliable connection (broadband is
recommended) then the choice is theirs. For example; it is feasible that a
student can sit and pass ACPA examinations from his or her desk at home, in the
office, or even in a public library. This level of accessibility underlines the
core ethos of ACPA.
The maintaining of standards and consistent delivery of high-quality service to
our Students and Members is of paramount importance to ACPA. To support this
ethos ACPA has designed the Exam-Engine™ in-line with the “Regulatory
Principles for e-assessment” as issued by the Office of the Qualifications and
Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in the United Kingdom. This is to ensure that
all ACPA exam sittings and assessments are; secure, consistent, reliable,
valid, accessible, and faithful to the performance of the candidate being
assessed.
One of the main reasons why traditional CBE’s require you to attend an
examination centre is because the CBE “engine” is installed on the computer
that you sit at during the exam. Whereas, the ACPA Exam-Engine™ is installed
centrally on our servers and accessed by you - through your web browser. This
means that you do not need to install any software to sit an exam.
ACPA exams are open book, which means that you can have any material in front
of you during the exam. The ACPA Exam-Engine™ has been developed with this in
mind, and cheating is virtually impossible. We say “virtually” because nothing
in life comes with a 100% guarantee. However; even though we believe in the
integrity of all our Students and Members, we do take exam security very
seriously. Hence, we use the very latest tools and techniques to trap and
eliminate exam fraudsters.
So why does ACPA prefer to test Members in this way? Well, our number one
objective is “To provide a global organization for Men and Women, who desire to
qualify and secure professional status as Certified Project Accountants or
Certified Corporate Executive Accountants”. That statement represents a huge
objective, and one that is not easily fulfilled. However, we believe it is
achievable through the progressive and radical use of technology. When
designing our New Syllabus ACPA focused on looking forward and embracing
technology, rather than attempting to emulate the assessment ethos of
yesteryear.
Governance
Our Corporate and Administrative structure is a hybrid combination of; Policy Governance,
Advisory Boards, and Results Based Executive Board.
This model was adopted to provide the most effective structure, delivering
strong quality Governance within a framework of value added progression, which
is needed to convert strategic aims into tactical action.
Below is a schematic diagram which illustrates the ACPA corporate structure:
Standards - Organization: Certified Compliant to ISO 17024:2003
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The Association of Certified Project Accountants, incorporating the Association
of Certified Corporate Executive Accountants, has gained the formal ISO
17024:2003 Registration and Certification by the ISO Scope International
Standards Partnership.
The ISO Scope Partnership completed the independent third party Assessment,
Audit, and Certification, before formally issuing the ISO 17024 Certification
to ACPA on September 9th 2009.
ISO 17024 is the International benchmark for personnel certification schemes.
The International Standard aims to harmonize the various procedures used around
the world for certifying the competence of personnel in different professions.
It provides a global benchmark for certification schemes to ensure that they
operate in a consistent, comparable and reliable manner worldwide, thus
establishing an environment for the mutual recognition of schemes and
facilitating the global mobility of personnel.
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