March 2001

Buffalo Young CPAs Forum

The CPA profession has witnessed some interesting changes in the way that training is provided to its new members. Time constraints and efficiencies make it difficult to allocate the time necessary to send the newer team members for training, especially in the non-traditional areas which are becoming a greater need for everyone within the profession. Also, some firms may argue that it is not economical to provide the training to the newer team members because they will only end up leaving after a few years anyway.

The question to ask is “If we don’t train them, what happens if they decide to stay for the long term?” By failing to train a new member, a firm faces two consequence. First, the firm denies employees the opportunity to advance in their career because they lack the skills needed to move up the ladder. Second, if employees believe they are being deprived of adequate training, while their colleagues at other firms are learning new skills, then the firm is giving new employees another reason to consider leaving.

New professionals want to make an immediate impact. On-the-job training will help them learn the technical aspects of the job, but additional training is needed. The non-traditional areas can be learned through a classroom setting and young professionals should be encouraged to attend these sessions. By providing this sort of training, firms empower these new professionals who are eager to put their skills to work, immediately making a positive impact on the practice.

Some may argue that non-technical training can be easily obtained through self-study programs, or can be done on the job as easily as the technical aspects of the job. The problem with self-study programs, however, is that they do not allow for interaction or examples of how other professionals within the industry have implemented certain ideas. The ability to ask how the ideas can be implemented for an organization’s specific needs becomes important.

Additionally, learning non-technical skills on the job prevents new ideas from entering the firm. Learning successes and struggles from other professionals can help generate new ideas for your organization.

The Young CPAs Forum, which is scheduled for July 12–13 in Buffalo, is designed to help young professionals learn the non-traditional aspects of the profession. By allowing young professionals to attend the forum, firms afford themselves a wonderful opporutunity: the program will help the young professionals foster new ideas that are crucial to realizing company goals, as well as give them a sense of being in the know.