STIC - Accounting:
Facilitator's Introduction
Participant Profile
This Overview and Orientation Workshop has been designed specifically
for immigrants with international training, qualifications and experience
in professional accounting. Additional information is provided on the
occupations of. If you intend to accept members of other occupations
into the workshop, be aware that you may have to conduct further research
and adapt the curriculum to meet your needs.
Participants will benefit most from this program if they also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- newcomers to Canada or
- have lived in Canada for some time, but have not been able to gain access to employment in their field or
- lack awareness of the systems, supports, and resources available, or
- are seeking entry into their field.
Methodology
This workshop has been developed so that it is:
- interactive
- accommodates the different learning styles
- demonstrates principles of adult education methodology.
Strategies used in the workshop include short lectures, individual activities, pair work and group activities.
Sources of information for the content of this curriculum include:
- The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (formerly Human Resources Development Canada (Job Futures)
- Ontario Government (Ontario Futures)
- Industry Canada
- Where the Jobs Are, by Colin Campbell
- The STEPS to Employment Program, Citizenship and Immigration Canada www.stepstoemployment.net
- Material from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, Certified Management Accountants of Ontario, and the Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario.
Structure
The Overview and Orientation Workshop is intended to be delivered over 30-35 hours, including time for discussion and breaks. It has been divided into six sections, with an introduction and wrap-up.
The sections do not necessarily need to be delivered in the order presented ; the activities within each section, however, should be delivered in order. In other words, you may choose to deal with Licensing before the Labour Market, but the activities within the Licensing Section should be delivered in order.
It is recommended that facilitators begin each day with an open discussion of the labour market for members of the profession or trade you are working with. You might ask:
- Was there anything in the news yesterday or this morning related to your profession/trade?
- Was there anything in the business sections of the newspapers about major employers in your field?
- Any job ads?
- Has anyone heard anything about job fairs or conventions coming up related to the field?
Discussion of this nature conveys to participants the importance of staying abreast of the field, of sharing information and of being aware of the trends in the industries that affect their job search.
Preparation
In order to deliver the Overview & Orientation Workshop for Accountants,
you need:
-
The Facilitator's Guide (this document), including
the lecture notes, overheads, hand-outs and answer keys that are
included with this guide.
-
The Participant's Workbook – which includes
all activities. (One for each participant)
-
Resource Packages (see Building Your Resource
Packages, pages 5-7).
-
At least one Guest Speaker (see Guest Speakers, page
8).
Building Your Resource Packages
The success of this program relies on relevant, up-to-date Resource Packages for each participant. The following detailed bibliography will help you develop these packages.
Each resource package must contain:
- Articles and other documents providing labour market information on
accounting and related industries and occupations. This will entail
visits to a library or employment resource centre as well as Internet
access.
- Sample job advertisements for different accounting
occupations.
- A copy of the Public Accounting Act. Order the Public
Accounting Act from Publications Ontario (416)
326-5300 or 1-800-668-9938. You can also obtain it through the Internet
at www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/90p37_e.htm
- Licensing/certification information (requirements and process) from
the occupational regulatory bodies.
- Articles relating to advances in technology in
accounting.
Details on how to gather these materials follow.
Occupation-Specific Resource Packages:
Suggested Contents
1. Labour Market Information
Job Advertisements
Directories
2) Acts and Regulations
Order the Public Accounting Act from Publications
Ontario
(416) 326-5300 or 1-800-668-9938.
You can also
obtain it through the Internet at:
www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/90p37_e.htm
3) Licensing/Certification Packages
Request copies of the Occupational Fact Sheet for Internationally trained
Accountants from:
Institute of Chartered Accountants
of Ontario
(416) 962-1841 or 1-800-387-0735 / (416) 962-8900
(Fax)
www.icao.on.ca Request certification requirements and process from:
Certified
Management Accountants of Ontario (416) 977-7741
www.CMA-Ontario.org
Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario (416)
322-6520 or 1-800-668-1454 / (416) 322-6481 (Fax)
www.cga-ontario.org
4) Technology - Relevant articles from:
- CMA Magazine
- CA Magazine
- CGA Magazine
- Business magazines such as Canadian Business, Report on Business.
- Job advertisements are also good sources of information
about types of technology used in the profession.
Guest Speakers
There is an opportunity within the structure of the Workshop to invite
guest speakers in to address the class. The topic for the guest speaker
is “workplace expectations and hiring procedures”; this may, of course,
be tailored to suit the speaker's expertise. You will have to secure
your guest speaker from the local community. Some possible sources are:
An Employment Agency
If there is an employment agency in your community which regularly serves
employers and job searchers in the profession or trade you are working
with, ask them to come in to address such topics as:
- needs of employers
- current hiring trends
- temporary work - if any
- resumes - what works, what doesn't.
A Human Resource Professional from a Large Employer
The speaker should address:
- How are positions advertised?
- What kind of people are they looking for?
- What stands out in a resume?
- What are the working conditions, benefits,etc.?
"A Day in the Life of..."
Participants generally enjoy listening to and asking questions of a
practising professional in their field. It is even more beneficial if
the guest speaker is foreign-trained and can address any challenges they
encountered and "secrets" to success.
One other option for a guest speaker is to integrate it into a field
trip. In particular, staff at Human Resources Development Canada Employment
Resources Centres are often able to give very effective presentations
in such topics as research tools, "The World of Work" computer
program and tours of the Centre.
 DownloadsAll downloads are in Adobe Acrobat PDF.
Download the complete Facilitator's Guide and Participant's Workbook.
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