The Tech Faculty is changing. 2021 was the last year that we we collected subs and provided an additional, paid-for service for members. From 2022, all tech content will become available to all ICAEW members.

Why are we changing?

Put simply, tech has become so important that all ICAEW members need to be able to access ICAEW’s content and work on tech. Indeed, one of ICAEW’s five strategic priorities over the next ten years is to help members master tech and data. Bringing together all the content about tech from across ICAEW will be a far more powerful proposition and help members more effectively than the traditional faculty subscription model.  

It will also enable better segmentation and targeting of content based on organisation size and sector. One of the challenges we have faced in the faculty is supporting members from a wide range of organisations, from small practices to board members in large businesses. Delivering tech content through, for example, the Small Practitioner Community will mean that it can be more relevant for individual members.  

Finally, the change will provide more focus on our policy and reputation work. The Tech Faculty in recent years has helped ICAEW develop an industry-leading position on tech issues. Our ABCD model of tech trends for the profession has been adopted by IFAC, our thought leadership papers on AI and blockchain were the first of their kind, and our work to support innovators such as Engine B will help the profession to adapt more successfully to digital transformation. Focusing on a smaller number of these issues will help us to achieve greater impact with our resources. 

So what does this mean for our members? 

First and foremost, it means that there will be no Tech Faculty option when you do your subs for 2022. Our member offering will cease and as a result, the next edition of Chartech will be the last.  

If you have enjoyed the access to the Excel Community that your membership has given you, then you can choose to sign up to that community for a lower price.  This includes access to a wide range of Excel blogs, webinars, and the online training suite - plus a contact for solving your Excel issues. 

The faculty staff will continue to operate in ICAEW as specialists, leading our thought leadership and policy work on tech, presenting to members, students and others, representing ICAEW with key tech-related stakeholders and providing support across ICAEW to help members get the right information on tech issues. ICAEW is also reviewing how it best delivers member content on data analytics and tech, tying together the work of the Data Analytics Community and the Excel Community more closely. 

So, to continue getting tech content, please do the following: 

• If you enjoy the Excel content, sign up for the Excel Community in 2022 to continue to receive access to these resources.
• Sign up to the Insights newswires through your ICAEW preference centre – you can get these on a daily, weekly or monthly basis and tech content will feature.
• Look out for tech content through your other member communications, such as the Data Analytics or Small Practitioner community newswires.

In the final edition of Chartech in November/December 2021, we provided more detail about future tech content across ICAEW. We also shared some reflections on the history and journey of the faculty.

You can still access past webinars and publications, including previous Chartech issues if you're an ICAEW member. 

And of course, if you have any comments or questions about these changes, please get in contact with us through techfac@icaew.com