Advice Clinic
Three members discuss their approach to CPD
Three AAT members from across practice, industry and the public sector share how they stay sharp and adapt to the profession’s evolving demands
Becky Glover FMAAT is finance director at Yutree Insurance
Sam Mitcham FMAAT, owner and founder of SJCM Accountancy
Guy Dakin MAAT, a senior management accountant at Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Continual professional development (CPD) is a fundamental and vital part of being a member of a professional body, and one the key differentiators between AAT members and their unregulated counterparts. But undertaking that development and recognising qualifying activities isn’t always straightforward. Here, three successful members with very different backgrounds and career trajectories talk through their approaches.
Key points
MAKE TIME FOR CPD
Regularly completing CPD and keeping records of it is a good habit and stands members in good stead.
TAKE OPPORTUNITIES
CPD can take many forms, and may not always seem relevant at the time, but it is all good experience.
LOG IT Keeping track is a common challenge, so make time to log your CPD in the AAT CPD Portal.
Embrace continual learning
Central to making the most of CPD is recognising that you “don’t simply qualify and know it all”, explains Sam Mitcham FMAAT, owner and founder of SJCM Accountancy. That realisation should inform your approach to the CPD process, she adds. “Anyone with an interest and passion for their career will naturally enjoy CPD. I can’t be best placed to do my job if I don’t keep up to date with things, but it’s so much easier now that there are so many different ways to do it.”
Becky Glover FMAAT is finance director at Yutree Insurance. She says she is a “huge believer in continual learning, especially now that the world of finance is in such a period of change”.
“The very best accountants are the ones who don’t stay within the numbers,” she adds. “A lot of what we do is taking those numbers, creating budgets and forecasts and then creating a story from them and telling non-finance professionals about those numbers. You only really get that if you’re interested in other areas of business.”
Becky Glover FMAAT believes accountants must be able to interpret figures for colleagues in other departments
Sam Mitcham FMAAT set up her own firm after working in practice
Always place yourself into every opportunity you can.
Take every opportunity you can
“When I started AAT, all I had in my mind was reaching the next level and the one after that,” explains Glover. “Every time I reached that next level, more doors opened for me and I just said ‘yes’ to every opportunity that came my way. It’s about what you want to do and you have to continue to develop yourself, so take every opportunity you can to learn and gain experience.”
Mitcham reinforces that point, noting “it’s about making sure you get as much practical experience as you can in as many areas as you can” in order to maximise your development.
“Always place yourself into every opportunity you can,” Mitcham says. “We’re working in a profession that’s a lot more inclusive to trainees and newly qualified people, so it’s important to take advantage of that where you can, even if it doesn’t feel directly relevant at the time.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by Guy Dakin MAAT, a senior management accountant at Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. His varied career has taken in spells as a paramedic and on the finance team of major films and, as such, he advocates stepping out of your comfort zone.
“Shortly after I qualified and I became an AAT member, I decided I’d like to try a new direction and became a paramedic for around five years. After I decided I wanted to come back to the accountancy profession, I could show I was credible through my qualification and the CPD I had completed.”
Guy Dakin MAAT has worked both in film and in the NHS
Collaborate and listen
The AAT community offers great opportunities for members to learn, Becky Glover FMAAT, finance director at Yutree Insurance notes. In particular, branches are a great additional source of CPD events, and offer the opportunity to meet, talk and network with members.
“You really have to continue to develop yourself and take opportunities to learn,” she explains. “Some of that can be through the AAT community, such as branch events and CPD events. Going out, meeting people and learning from their experiences is invaluable.”
“You own your own CPD,” says Guy Dakin MAAT, senior management accountant at Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. “It could be anything from AAT resources to talking with others. When I went to the film industry, I went on a convergence course for existing accountants to learn about the film industry, so that counted and opened my eyes to how we would work.”
