Structure
of the AAT Education and Training Scheme
The
AAT provides an Education and Training Scheme for accounting staff
in all employment sectors. Accounting Technicians may be employed
as accounts assistants, payroll officers, auditors or even finance
directors.
The
Scheme, in three stages, is based on national standards, agreed by
employers, which specify what accounting staff should know, understand
and be able to do. It provides National Vocational Qualifications
( NVQs ) in Accounting at Levels
2, 3 and 4.
- The
Foundation Stage of study tests accounting competency at NVQ Level
2
- The
Intermediate Stage of study tests accounting competency at NVQ Level
3
- The
Technician Stage of study tests accounting competency at NVQ Level
4
Each
Stage represents a qualification in its own right and successful students
will receive a certificate for each Level achieved.
The
current AAT Scheme identifies 23 units of competence and students
are required to demonstrate acceptable understanding and ability in
18 units (14 compulsory and 4 optional) The options allow students
to study general international accounting practices or UK based
topics related to taxation, auditing, and public sector accounting.
Students can choose to complete units according to their own
or their employer's needs.
Unit titles and numbers for Foundation, Intermediate
and Technician Stage are listed below.
The AAT has adopted the best features of the traditional and the innovative
in its approach to education and training. The Scheme is unique in
that it formally assesses Students' underpinning knowledge and understanding
as well as their ability to carry out practical work-based activities.
The aim of the Scheme is to ensure AAT trained accounting staff are
confident, informed, motivated and, above all, able to do their job
competently and with a solid base of underlying knowledge.
The
AAT's Education and Training Scheme is designed to assess whether
Students are competent in a range of accounting areas. Competence
is "the ability to perform activities within an occupation to a defined
standard."
Competence includes:
-
the ability to transfer skills and knowledge
-
the
ability to organise and plan your work
-
the
ability to innovate and to cope with non-routine activities.
-
the
possession of those personal skills which are required in the
workplace to deal with co-workers, managers, clients and customers
Training centres (known as Approved Assessment Centres, or AACs for
short) are approved to make sure that Students know how to do each
activity and they will decide when Students can be deemed competent
for any one unit of the Scheme.
Skill tests and formal examinations ( formerly
known as Devolved & Central Assessments )
At each stage of the AAT's Education and Training Scheme there are
two broad types of assessment. Students are assessed by a combination
of skills testing (practical work activities assessed by Approved
Assessment Centres) and formal examinations (written and marked by
the AAT).
Because it is vocational competence which is being assessed, much
of the evidence of competence will be obtained from practical activities
which are assessed by qualified assessors in a training centre. Such
assessment is referred to as Skills Testing . It is a means of collecting
evidence of ability to carry out practical activities and to operate
effectively to the standards required and may involve, for example,
evidence from the workplace, from voluntary activities such as acting
as treasurer of a local society or club, or from simulations of real
work activities.
Students
will be required to collect evidence for skills testing in an Accounting
Portfolio. Detailed guidance on the construction of a portfolio is
given in the Student Record, which will be received on registration
with the Association. If you do not work at an approved workplace
or attend a course at a training centre, you will need to contact
a convenient training centre to arrange to have your evidence assessed.
The second type of assessment is referred to as Examinations. This
consists of written assessments set and marked by the AAT. They are
designed primarily to assess underpinning knowledge and understanding
in certain key areas of accounting. Examination is an important part
of the AAT's quality control of its qualifications.
As the Scheme is based on the standards expected in the workplace,
a higher level of performance is required in assessment than is the
case in traditional examinations. However, unlike many examinations
in this field, plenty of time is allowed for Students to draft, present
and check their answers.
Skills testing may take place at any time which is mutually agreed
between the student and the training centre. Examinations are held
twice per year, in June and December, and are carried out under controlled
conditions.
Examination
Fees
Foundation Stage - £26 per exam (total £28 for 1 exam)
Intermediate
Stage - £28 per exam (total £56 for 2 exams)
Technician
Stage - £30 per exam (total £90 for 3 exams)
Foundation Stage
(AAT Level 2 NVQ/SVQ in Accounting)
The AAT was given accreditation to offer revised Standards in August
2000.
Because of the very different structure of the new units, there will
be a clean break between the ‘old' and revised Standards and no transitional
arrangements will be made. However, given that three further examinations
will be offered and there will be a further two and a half years to
complete skills tests, it is not anticipated that Students who have
started under the ‘old' Standards will have any problems completing
the scheme.
The
NVQ level 2 in Accounting (Foundation Stage) has been revised and
the new structure is seen on the following chart.
Units
of competence |
Method
of
Assessment |
| Unit
1 - Recording Income and Receipts |
Skills
Tests |
| Unit
2 - Making and Recording Payments |
Skills
Tests |
| Unit
3 - Preparing Ledger Balances and an Initial Trial Balance |
Skills
Tests & Examination |
| Unit
4 - Supplying Information for Management Control |
Skills
Tests |
| Unit
21 - Working with Computers |
Skills
Tests |
| *Unit
22 - Contribute to the Maintenance of a Healthy, Safe and Productive
Working Environment. |
Skills
Tests |
| Unit
23 - Achieving Personal Effectiveness |
Skills
Tests |
*Can
be completed at any Stage of the Scheme.
Each Unit of Competence is broken down into Elements of Competence.
Further details of each unit are available in the Student Record Book
which is issued to students when they join the Education and Training
Scheme.
Intermediate Stage ( AAT Level 3 NVQ/SVQ in Accounting)
Units
of competence |
Method
of
Assessment |
| Unit
5 - Maintaining Financial Records and Preparing Accounts |
Skills
Tests &
Examination |
| Unit
6 - Recording and Evaluating Costs and Revenues |
Skills
Tests &
Examination |
| Unit
7 - Preparing Reports and Returns |
Skills
Tests |
| Unit
21 - Working with Computers |
Skills
Tests |
| *Unit
22 - Contribute to the Maintenance of a Healthy, Safe and Productive
Working Environment. |
Skills
Tests |
*Unit
22 need not be repeated if it has been completed at Levels 2
Each
Unit of Competence is broken down into Elements of Compeence. Further
details of each unit are available in the Student Record Book which
is issued to students when they join the Education and Training Scheme.
Technician
Stage ( AAT Level 4 NVQ/SVQ in Accounting)
Group
1 Core Units - All units are mandatory
Units
of competence |
Method
of
Assessment |
| Unit
8 - Contributing to the Management of Costs and the Enhancement
of Value |
Examination |
| Unit
9 - Contributing to the Planning and Control of Resources |
Examination |
| Unit
10 - Managing Systems and People in the Accounting Environment. |
Project |
| *Unit
22 - Contribute to the Maintenance of a Healthy, Safe and Productive
Working Environment. |
Skills
Tests |
*Unit
22 need not be repeated if it has been completed at Levels 2 or 3
Group
2 Optional Units - Choose one of the following four units
Units
of competence |
Method
of
Assessment |
Unit
11 - Drafting Financial Statements
(Accounting Practice, Industry and Commerce) |
Examination |
| Unit
12 - Drafting Financial Statements (Central Government) |
Examination |
| Unit
13 - Drafting Financial Statements (Local Government) |
Examination |
| Unit
14 - Drafting Financial Statements (National Health Service) |
Examination |
Group
3 Optional Units - Choose Three of the following five units
Units
of competence |
Method
of
Assessment |
| Unit
15 - Operating a Cash Management and Credit Control System |
Skill
Tests |
| Unit
16 - Evaluating Current and Proposed Activities |
Skill
Tests |
| Unit
17 - Implementing Auditing Procedures |
Skill
Tests |
| Unit
18 - Preparing Business Taxation Computations |
Examination |
| Unit
19 - Preparing Personal Taxation Computations |
Examination |
Each
Unit of Competence is broken down into Elements of Competence. Further
details of each unit are available in the Student Record which is
issued to students when they join the Education and Training Scheme.
Most
of the AAT's qualifications are based on the units which make up the
Education and Training Scheme. However, these can be packaged according
to need. An example of a specific package is:
The AAT Diploma
in Accounting - This has been developed for Students
outside the UK who complete all of the formally examined aspects of
the Scheme. The AAT Diploma in Accounting recognises the achievements
of international Students who have completed part of the Education
and Training Scheme and provides access to the profession for a wide
range of Students internationally. Membership of the AAT is offered
to Diploma holders on completion of three years work experience after
graduation.
Units
of competence |
Method
of
Assessment |
| Unit
3 - Preparing Ledger Balances and an Initial Trial Balance |
Examination |
| Unit
5 - Maintaining Financial Records and Preparing Accounts |
Examination |
Unit
6 - Recording and Evaluating Costs and Revenues |
Examination |
| Unit
8 - Contributing to the Management of Costs and the Enhancement
of Value |
Examination |
Unit
9 - Contributing to the Planning and Control of Resources |
Examination |
Unit
11 - Drafting Financial Statements
(Accounting Practice, Industry and Commerce) |
Examination |
