New career adds up for Ridhi

GAINING top marks in the Diploma for Accounting Technicians programme has given a local mature student a springboard to a better career.

Ridhi Jain (38) from Castleknock secured one of the top marks in the country in the Diploma for Accounting Technicians programme last year.

Twelve months on and Ridhi, who returned to study after 15 years in picking the ATI course, is now furthering her career in becoming a Chartered Accountant.

She continues to work as an accounts assistant with restaurant equipment systems company H&K International while pursuing her online studies.

Accounting Technicians Ireland’s qualification is recognised as the fastest pathway to a professional accounting career.

“The foundation that the ATI provided was excellent, giving me a brilliant insight and learning tools,” said Ridhi.

“It also allowed me to automatically mark a number of subjects in the Chartered Accountancy course as completed.

“It got me into a routine of studying so I am able for the next step in this career.

“I was originally hesitant about doing the ATI course after 15 years of not studying but it gave me so much confidence and it was flexible enough to combine study around my children and my full-time job.”

The Accounting Technicians Ireland (ATI) qualification is a passport to a rewarding career in accountancy or business.

Offered full or part-time, it is open to the countless number of people who have been working in industry or small practice firms for years but have no formal training, school and college leavers and mature students.

Over 70 colleges around the country offer ATI’s flexible courses that allow students to obtain this professional qualification in as little as two years.

The accounting qualification provides access to employment opportunities for a broad range of accounting and finance roles and will enable students to further progress to senior financial management posts.

Open days for potential students and employers will be held at Accounting Technicians Ireland in Pearse Street on July15 and 25 and August 8, 19 and 28 and must be booked in advance on numbersindna.ie.

Accounting Technicians are qualified accounting professionals that work at all levels of finance throughout the private and public sector, industry and commerce and in accountancy practices. 

Accounting Technicians can perform a wide range of finance roles, from accounts staff to financial controller and beyond.

For instance, they can do financial accounting and budgeting, costing and credit control, payroll administration and tax returns.

More experienced Accounting Technicians may often perform senior managerial tasks and audits.

The two-year Diploma for Accounting Technicians programme is also the first step to a full qualification in accountancy.

“This is a pan-sectoral qualification which meets the needs of industry, practice and the public sector, and graduates enjoy exemptions from the full range of professional accountancy bodies including Chartered Accountants Ireland, ACCA, CPA, CIMA as well as Higher Education third level accounting programmes,” said Gillian Doherty, ATI’s Chief Operations Officer.

“A recent analysis of the labour market by the National Skills Bulletin confirmed a continuing high demand for accounting technician skills.

“Many businesses finance the programme for potential Accounting Technicians – recognising the benefits of having a qualified technician run the financial side of the business while the owner develops the entrepreneurial end.” 

Visit www.numbersindna.ie for more details.