The conversation around the accounting profession’s skills gap has been going on for some time, but it’s taken on new urgency in the years since the pandemic. Many firm leaders and educators have noticed that emerging professionals are entering the field with strong technical skills, yet often struggle with the softer ones (communication, collaboration, and leadership) that the profession depends on. 

In a piece by Maryland Association of CPAs CEO Rebekah Olson for CPA Practice Advisor, she wrote that traditionally, firms played a central role in shaping these broader skills through mentoring and hands-on experience, but that model has been harder to sustain with tighter capacity, changing business models, and limited time for formal training.

At the same time, the profession is attracting people from more diverse educational and career backgrounds, which adds energy and perspective but also highlights the need for shared grounding in professional norms and expectations. 

Olson said that the Maryland Association of CPAs has responded to this need by developing new programs aimed at supporting early-career professionals. The Emerging Professional Membership program provides a year-long introduction to both the accounting community and the MACPA network, while shorter learning cohorts focus on specific areas such as adaptability, communication, and leadership. 

These programs reflect a larger truth that technical training alone is not enough. The accounting profession depends on trust, connection, and context which are qualities that can’t be automated or learned in isolation.