Graduates cautioned against underestimating professional courses

CPA Ronald Mutumba (L) and CPA Laura Aseru Orobia reveal the CTA Certificate, one of the three examinations results released. PHOTO/PROMISE TWINAMUKYE.
What you need to know:
- A professional course is one that provides some body with practical skills, make you (one) job-ready at the completion of the course
Undergraduates or graduates from various universities in Uganda have been cautioned against underestimating professional courses being administered by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda because it is what makes one become a professional accountant, and not the academic university degrees.
A professional course is one that provides some body with practical skills, make you (one) job-ready at the completion of the course. In comparison, the goal of a degree is to provide you with a strong academic foundation in a particular subject, not necessarily making you ‘job ready’.
Professional course prepares students to work in a specific profession, industry, or practice. They can be under undergraduate or graduate degrees, and may be classified as bachelors, masters, or doctoral degrees.
Speaking during the unveiling of ICPAU beneficiaries of Cohort six students and the launch of seven cohort at Protea Hotel Skyz in Naguru, the deputy director payment systems oversight and policy Bank of Uganda, Mr Andrew Kawere said: “Nothing in the university academic beats professional competence courses like certified public accountants being conducted by the Institute of Certified professional Accountants of Uganda.”
Mr Kawere said it is very important for graduates to understand that professional courses matter so much because it makes one competent and qualifies one to become a certified public accountant.
“Do not underestimate the course of ICPAU and be ready to learn. Don’t be afraid to accept that you don’t know even though you have an academic degree from the university. You think beyond just passing the exams, have a study plan,” advised the students unveiled for six cohorts of ICPAU scholarship.
Mr Kawere said a B.Com course in the Universities doesn’t make one in any way become a professional accountant (certified public accountant).
Presenting himself as an example, Mr Kawere said he has a first degree in B.Com but he had to do a professional at the ICPAU to become a certified public accountant.
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) launched the student scholarship programme (SSP) in 2019 as a way of fostering professional accountancy development in Uganda.
It exemplifies the institute’s commitment to nurturing Uganda’s next generation of business leaders, through enabling the beneficiaries to unlock their full potential so as to make impactful contributions to the accountancy profession and the nation’s economy.
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