Changes in technology across the financial reporting supply chain are impacting the expected information and communications technologies (ICT) competencies and skills of aspiring and professional accountants to perform their roles. Identifying the ICT skills needed by aspiring and professional accountants serves the public interest by enabling the accounting profession to provide high-quality financial reporting, auditing, or other related financial and accounting services in the digital age.

Inconsistent and fragmented regulation of the financial sector—which includes divergence in how and when standards are adopted as well as different approaches to monitoring and enforcement—poses significant challenges to national and international economies, not to mention the drag created on the accountancy profession itself.

In addition to issuing International Education Standards, the IAESB also developes implementation support materials, including videos, webcasts and presentations, and guidance documents. These resources support accounting education and are for use by academics, training providers, professional accounting organization, and employers.

The IAESB has developed this guidance to illustrate how the International Education Standards implementation may be adapted to create curricula that cater to the needs of professional accountants in the public sector. 

It is grounded in the Learning Outcomes approach that “embodies the idea that learning and development experiences are most effective when based on what the individual needs to demonstrate." It uses IES 2, Initial Professional Competence – Technical Competence, as a base as that helps establish the common ground.

An effective finance function is integral to an organization's long-term success. Therefore, ensuring a fit-for-purpose finance function that meets the needs of an organization is crucially important. 

This tool is designed for use by boards and management teams to support meaningful discussion on how the finance function progresses within the organization. It also helps identify priority areas for further development that will maximize the value and contribution of the finance function.

The world is changing fast, and so are the roles of finance and accounting professionals. The nature of work performed by professional accountants and the nature of their contribution to organizations are rapidly evolving in response to significant business trends.

This report identifies the roles that future-fit accountants in business can fulfill to remain integral to their organizations in the coming decade based on the experiences of senior business and finance leaders, CEOs, board directors, and other stakeholders.

The CFO and finance function agenda is changing. With more demanding customers and society, achieving sustainable, long-term growth and value creation has never been more challenging. This report provides a vision to develop an effective finance function in the context of evolving mandates driven by digital transformation and multicapital thinking. The vision represents a shift from accounting for the balance sheet to accounting for the business and value creation.