Home › News & Events › IAESB Releases Revised Standard on Assessment of Professional Competence

IAESB Releases Revised Standard on Assessment of Professional Competence

Filter By

 
 

Press Releases

Nov 16, 2012
New York, New York

IAESB

IAESB Releases Revised Standard on Assessment of Professional Competence

The International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB) today released the revised International Education Standard (IES) 6, Initial Professional Development—Assessment of Professional Competence. The revised education standard will help IFAC member bodies and other professional accountancy organizations understand the learning and development requirements for assessing professional competence, and their obligations in upholding the standards.

The revised standard addresses elements that are essential to assessing professional competence of an aspiring professional accountant. Specifically, it prescribes:

  • A principles-based approach, which specifies the requirements for the assessment of professional competence by the end of Initial Professional Development (IPD) of an aspiring professional accountant;
  • Principles for individual assessment activities used by member bodies to assess professional competence—applied by the end of IPD—that shall be reliable, valid, equitable, transparent, and sufficient; and
  • A requirement that IFAC member bodies formally assess the achievement of competence of aspiring professional accountants prior to their admission to the profession.

“Assessing professional competence of aspiring professional accountants by the end of initial professional development is essential in sustaining public trust,” said Peter Wolnizer, chair of the IAESB. “The revised standard on assessment demonstrates the board’s desire to move to a more principles-based approach in standard setting.

“The revised standard will be more useful to IFAC member bodies, other professional accountancy organizations, educational institutions, regulators, and other interested parties in assessing professional competence than the current approach to assessment,” Wolnizer added.

The IAESB has undertaken a project to redraft all eight of its IESs in accordance with its new clarity drafting conventions, as outlined in its 2010-2013 Strategy and Work Plan. Recently, the IAESB released its clarified IES 7, Continuing Professional Development, which identifies the requirements for continuing professional development of professional accountants. Also related to the revision project is the proposed revision of IES 8, Competence Requirements for Audit Professionals, which has a deadline for comments of December 11, 2012.

The current timetable envisages that all IESs will have been revised and redrafted, or redrafted only, by the end of 2013.

About the IAESB
The IAESB develops education standards, guidance, and information papers for use by IFAC member bodies under a shared standard-setting process involving the Public Interest Oversight Board, which oversees the activities of the IAESB, and the IAESB Consultative Advisory Group, which provides public interest input into the development of the standards and guidance. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IAESB are facilitated by IFAC.

About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession, dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. It is comprised of 173 members and associates in 129 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.

 

#  #  #

 

Related Resources