Undergraduate Partnership Programme (ICAEW) Basic Information

Contents:

Introduction How is the UPP structured? What status does the years placement have?. Which students can apply for the UPP? How is the additional year of study funded? How are students selected for the UPP (and provision disclaimer)? Careers and Application Advice Mentoring during the placement year UPP specific learning and assessment requirements Contact details Introduction The UPP is a BSc Accounting and Finance degree with intercalated year (NN37 Undergraduate Partnership Programme). It has been developed in collaboration with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and two other leading UK business schools: Cardiff and Manchester. It aims to provide students on Accounting and Finance degree courses at these institutions with the opportunity to develop and integrate their degree studies with a year of work experience in an ICAEW training employer. That years work can count as the first year of the ICAEW ACA training agreement. Students who entered the first year of the BSc Accounting and Finance degree in October 2009 were the first cohort to be eligible to apply for a place on the UPP. A number of students from that cohort are currently out working for a year with Barclays, EY, Goldman Sachs and KPMG. There are numerous other employers who offer internships on the programme too. The first year of this training agreement will be undertaken during the third (intercalated) year of this four-year programme. The remaining two years of the training agreement can commence following graduation, when students may be offered a position by their sponsoring employer firm or organisation (subject to satisfactory performance and agreement by the employer). How is the UPP structured? BSc Accounting and Finance students will be able to apply to join the UPP during their second year of study and, if successful, will transfer to the BSc Accounting and Finance (Undergraduate Partnership Programme NN37) at the end of Year 2. The UPP entails studying for the first two years of the BSc Accounting and Finance and then
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deferring the final year of degree study at WBS for a years work placement. Students will return to WBS for their final year immediately following their placement year. The UPP sequence is therefore: Year 1 Degree study at WBS Year 2 Degree study at WBS (and UPP application process) Year 3 First year of ICAEW training agreement Year 4 Final year of degree study at WBS After graduation Completion of remaining two years of ICAEW training agreement (subject to securing this with an employer) The academic content of the degree will be supplemented by assessed coursework that students will be required to submit at the end of the placement year. This work counts for 10% of the degree. Otherwise the degree structure is essentially the same as the BSc Accounting and Finance. 2. What status does the years placement have? The years placement counts as the first year of an ICAEW ACA training agreement (i.e. in Chartered Accountancy). The ICAEW is a prestigious professional body. Successful completion of an ACA training agreement allows individuals to put the letters ACA after their name and to practise as a Chartered Accountant. Many senior Accounting and Finance professionals (including CFOs and CEOs have this qualification and experience). To achieve the ACA after graduation, participants must complete a training agreement lasting between three and five years in total, pass the ICAEWs Professional Stage and Advanced Stage examinations (you will have the opportunity to gain some Professional Stage exemptions by successfully completing specific modules as part of your degree course) and meet various requirements regarding work experience. Which students can apply for the UPP? Only students enrolled on the BSc Accounting and Finance degree can apply (subject to meeting the threshold performance criteria listed below). Both Home/EU and International students are eligible to apply. How is the additional year of study funded? Currently the University requires half fees to be paid for the placement year. This is the case for all intercalated programmes across the university. How are students selected for the UPP? Students who successfully meet the baseline criteria listed below will be eligible to apply to the ICAEW during Year 2 of their degree. This process begins in Week 1 of the Autumn Term (October 2010). It is strongly advised that you attend the briefing session (4 Oct 11am1pm Rootes Building) if you are interested in applying. NB: WBSs ability to participate in the UPP in any year is entirely contingent on employers making placements available within their organisations, and on WBS students successfully competing for a placement. There is no guarantee of a place, or that the UPP will be offered in any particular year, although WBS will actively support students and work with employers in order to maximise the likelihood of these opportunities.
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The selection process itself will be undertaken by the employers with oversight from the ICAEW and participating Universities. Places are strictly limited and it is anticipated that not all students who apply will be chosen. Students from all three participating universities will compete with each other for places there is no agreed quota of places for WBS students. Students will need a good performance in their first year, a strong curriculum vitae and success at interview. The selection criteria listed below are therefore only a baseline and do not guarantee success. You are recommended to review the careers advice from relevant sources (see section 6 below) in order to maximise your chances of selection. Firms have said that students who were not successful needed to improve on their performance in interviews - we therefore strongly advise you to seek advice from the Careers service before attempting these interviews. UPP baseline selection criteria In order to be eligible for consideration for the UPP, you must meet at least the following baseline academic criteria: [1] An overall average of 60% or higher across your ten first-year modules. [2] An overall grade of 60% or higher in IB124 Introduction to Financial Accounting. [3] No proven instances of plagiarism. [4] A positive recommendation by your personal tutor (taking into account, for example, your record of class attendance). UPP coversheet forms will be checked and signed off by the WBS UPP Coordinator in the Accounting Group, Dr Fiona Anderson-Gough. 6. Careers and Application Advice Briefings on the UPP and the application process will be held in Week 1 of your second year. Chancellors Suite in Rootes 11am-1pm on Tues 4th October. The ICAEW and some participating firms will aslo be present at Careers Fairs in Term 1. The UPP page on my.wbs will provide information on events and vacancies throughout the year. It is important that you give careful consideration to your decision to accept a place. Provided you perform satisfactorily, your acceptance of a place on the UPP could be the beginning of your three year training agreement with the organisation. It is therefore advisable that you seek out as much information as you need to make an informed decision. You should look at the websites of some accountancy firms to get an idea of what they do and what they require from their staff the Warwick Careers Service website is a good starting point. Useful websites Warwick Careers Service: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/careers/ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/careers/findingajob/sector/finance/accountancy/ (This site has detailed advice on the sector as well as on the application process). In particular:
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http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/careers/findingajob/sector/finance/accountancy/gettingi ntoaccounting.pdf is a good place to start. ICAEW: http://www.icaew.com/careers The UPP webpage at ICAEW.com is located via the careers page then click on the link to Training Vacancies and you will see a tab in the centre of the page for UPP. Here you will be able to access links to organisations offering placements. Mentoring during placement year Students will be provided with a WBS academic tutor as a point of contact during their placement year. Students will continue to have online access to university resources such as the Main Library. UPP specific learning and assessment requirements In order to complete the intercalated year successfully, participants must [a] attend the formal briefing session in March prior to the start of their placement year. [b] satisfactorily complete the ICAEW Initial Professional Development requirements (including employer review) by the end of their placement year. [c] attend any scheduled mentor visits or requested participant events at WBS. On their return to WBS at the end of the placement year, participants must satisfactorily complete: [d] the Learning Portfolio (due at the end of Week 1, Year 4). [e] the reflective essay (due at the end of Week 1, Year 4). [f] the compulsory presentation provisionally scheduled for Week 4, Year 4. (Current second years, academic tutors and participating firms will be invited to attend your presentation) NB: The opportunity to sit Professional Stage examinations is currently at the discretion of the employer. You will need to discuss this with your employer and WBS academic advisor when you receive any offers. Credits: Currently ICAEW award credits for up to six out of twelve Professional Stage exams. Three of these credits are contingent on students completing certain final-year modules. Please see the exemption pathways document on my.wbs. Whom can I contact at WBS for further information? For general queries: the WBS Undergraduate Office For more detailed queries: your personal tutor or the WBS UPP co-ordinator upp@wbs.ac.uk.