This is an old blog post re-published
The (AAT), Association of Accounting Technicians
has always had a slightly confusing approach to professional
education in that it offered two routes to becoming AAT certified,
either by the NVQ or Diploma route. This will all change from 1st
July 2010. However, that is not he only change affecting AAT
Professional Accounting Qualifications; the courses will be made
available within the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), and
from the 1st August 2010, within the Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework (SCQF) in Scotland.
AAT, like every other awarding professional body, must ensure that their syallai and courses are up to date and valuable to employers and today's business environment. Essentially, the new revised AAT Accounting Qualification is based on the new National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Accounting: designed to make the qualification more applicable to the workplace, employers and the accounting industry.
The AAT Director of Education, Clare Morley has outlined that technology will be central to the changes. The idea is that exams will be scheduled whenever there is demand, (traditionally professional qualification assessments are sat in June and December).
AAT qualifications are delivered and assessed with the use of computers - but importantly, a human touch will remain. Like CIMA students will obtain their results instantly following the completion of their exam. The essay or question based element of AAT qualifications will still, of course require human involvement but the turn-around time for marking papers will be six rather than ten weeks. This is considerably shorter than other awarding bodies like the Chartered Institute of Marketing that take nearly two months to return graded assignments and exams. Student will undoutedbly welcome the shorter turn-around.
Another change effecting AAT this year is the new separate paper on ethics and a computerised accounting unit to be also launched on the 1st July 2010.
As is usual in these transition periods there will be a "grace" period of one year whereby students on re-sits or currently studying under the now old system will have a chance to continue and pass their AAT qualifications. This transition is expected to start on the 1st July 2010 and end 30th June 2011.
Computer Based AAT Assessments
In addition, all AAT exams will be Computer Based Assessed like
CIMA and CFA Levels 1 and 2. All AAT
assessments for the new revised qualification will be CBAs,
(Computer Based Assessments) replacing the current format of exams
and skills tests. CBAs are designed to reflect professional
workplace tasks that would be typically performed. Another change
affecting AAT this year is that you are able to take the CBAs when
it suits you and your training provider, instead of waiting for the
traditional professional qualification assessment months of June
and December. (Interestingly, CIM, (Chartered Institute of Marketing)
introduced four assessment dates at the start of 2010: March, June,
September and December whilst CAM,
(Communications, Advertising and Marketing) remain on two
assessment dates per year despite having launched two new digital
marketing courses. Likely they will also follow suit in the four
assessment date strategy which inevitably gives students greater
flexibility and possibility to re-sit fails.