The 4 key elements of the ACA
Professional development
There are seven professional development ladders to complete. They will develop your communication skills as well as teamwork, decision making, problem solving and more. Record how you meet each skill and discuss them at each six-monthly review meeting.
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Practical work experience
You will complete at least 450 days of practical work experience as part of your training agreement. This will provide you with an opportunity to put theory into practice, involving real-life work of financial, business or commercial nature.
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Ethics and professional scepticism
Develop your knowledge and behaviour and feel confident in decision making. Ethics underpins the ACA exams; you will need to complete the Ethics Learning Programme and discuss ethics scenarios as part of your six-monthly reviews.
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Exams
There are many exams to study and pass and they are split over three levels - Certificate, Professional and Advanced. They focus on different aspects of accountancy, finance and business and complement the experience you will gain at work.
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Your apprenticeship requirements
Your employer is required to provide you with off-the-job training, within normal working hours. Once they confirm that you have passed the gateway review you will complete the exam and a project report for the end-point assessment.
For your diary
Our handy planner contains all the key dates and deadlines for you to bookmark and regularly check.
Six-monthly reviews
As a mandatory part of your training, your six-monthly reviews are important to gain approval for your practical work experience days, discuss your progress and feedback.
Online training file
Your online training file is a record of your progress and development and must be updated every six months throughout your training.
UK Audit Qualification
Record your audit experience throughout your training, to work towards the Audit Qualification and becoming a UK statutory auditor. If you work for a firm of UK or EEA registered auditors start recording today,
The soft skills are just as important as the spreadsheets.
Meet Ashwini
Ashwini has already started studying for the ACA and we are following her throughout her journey. Read her journey to date and keep an eye out for more to come.
Student Roadmap
Use our template roadmaps to discover the key milestones on a typical student journey and chart your own progression.
