AICPA Offers New Education Website

The American Institute of CPAs has launched a new website designed to spark a profession-wide reevaluation of how CPAs engage in lifelong learning and measure competency in a fast-changing world.

The site, futureoflearning.aicpa.org, contains the findings of the AICPA Task Force on the Future of Learning – a working group of public accounting firm leaders, industry CPAs, regulators, association leaders and educators – and examines the latest innovations in professional development and education. The task force report, delivered to the AICPA governing Council in May and now released publicly for the first time, is presented through a mix of text, video and graphics in an interactive, online format.

“The AICPA has always provided best-in-class training to assist CPAs in maintaining their skills throughout their careers,” said Anthony J. Pugliese, CPA, CGMA, CITP, senior vice president and chief operating officer of the AICPA and co-chair of the Future of Learning task force. “But the way CPAs learn has to evolve to reflect the transformation we’re seeing in technology, the workplace and the changing expectations of our clients, employers and peers.”

Visitors to the site are encouraged to comment on the task force’s recommendations, share them through social media and other means, and join idea exchange groups on the future of learning. The ultimate goal is to identify and nurture the most promising learning advancements that will strengthen career development and skill mastery for current and future CPAs.

“Meaningful change won’t be accomplished by any single organization working alone, which is why we’re reaching out to tap the collective wisdom of the profession,” said Lawson Carmichael, the AICPA’s senior vice president of strategy, people, and innovation, and the task force’s other co-chair.

The main recommendations of the task force are:

• Innovate and Experiment. Leverage technology to enhance learning experiences. Implement small changes for a huge impact.

• Ignite a Passion for Learning. Start with the learner’s needs. Make learning engaging and relevant.

• Make Learning Personal. Filter content and focus resources that address individuals’ knowledge and competency needs. Deliver any topic, anywhere, any way.

• Measure What Matters. Rethink compliance to measure learner competency, development or performance. Create and leverage a unified, global competency framework. Develop one uniform, global compliance standard.