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Employers

ACA CTA Joint Programme

Developed in partnership with CIOT, the ACA CTA Joint Programme allows your students to become fully qualified ICAEW Chartered Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers in three to four years.

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Explore the benefits of the ACA CTA Joint Programme

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Reduced training times

Studying both the ACA and CTA simultaneously reduces the training time for your employees.

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Flexible-training options

Students can study in classrooms, remotely or a hybrid of the two and put learning into practice in real time.

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Tax & accounting specialists

Future proof your workforce with qualified chartered accountants with specialist tax knowledge.

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The ACA CTA Joint Programme at a glance

The ACA CTA Joint Programme allows employers to fast-track their students to become ICAEW Chartered Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers. You will need to pick a specialism for your student to follow based on what will be most relevant to their workplace, experience and training. The taxation specialisms include:

  • Larger companies and groups
  • Owner managed businesses
  • Indirect tax

Who is the ACA CTA Joint Programme for?

Students can join the programme once they are registered as an ACA student, providing they work in tax.

How long will the ACA CTA Joint Programme take?

The programme typically takes students three to four years to complete.

The four elements of the ACA

ACA CTA students will need to complete all of the elements of the ACA and CTA qualifications. The ACA is made up of four elements, each designed to build the technical knowledge, professional skills, and practical experience your trainee needs to become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.

  • Practical work experience

    Students need to complete a minimum of 450 days of practical work experience as part of their training. This does not need to include audit work. 

  • The ACA exams

    The ACA is made up of 15 exams spread over three levels: the Certificate Level, the Professional Level, and the Advanced Level. Each exam has been designed to fit students practical experience as they progress through the qualification and gain an in-depth knowledge of accountancy, finance, and business. 

    Students on the ACA CTA Joint Programme will only complete 14 of the 15 ACA exams – they will not complete the ACA Professional Level Business Planning: Taxation exam.

  • Professional development

    ICAEW Chartered Accountants are known for their professionalism and expertise, building trust, spotting, and communicating risks and utilising technology. Students are required to work their way through seven professional skills areas to prepare them for the situations they will encounter throughout their career in accountancy.

  • Ethics and professional scepticism

    Ethics is integrated throughout the ACA, developing trusted advisors who know how to make ethical decisions and justify them. Throughout their training, students will learn the principles that underpin the ICAEW Code of Ethics, and importantly, they will learn how to apply these principles via an Ethics Learning Programme, a series of Ethics in Practice scenarios and the exams.

Getting started with ACA CTA

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How the ACA CTA Joint Programme works

An overview to the ACA CTA Joint Programme. Find out what it is, how it works and what’s involved.

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Why choose the ACA

Attract top quality professionals to your organisation. Discover the benefits ACA training can bring to your business.

Discover the ACA
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Become authorised to train

You must become an Authorised Training Employer to train ACA students. Find out what is involved and how to apply.

Getting started
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Level 7 Accountancy Professional Apprenticeship

Organisations in England can access government funding and offer this route as a Level 7 apprenticeship.

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Interested in offering the ACA CTA Joint Programme?

Want more information on the ACA CTA Joint Programme? Register your interest and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your needs.

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