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Approved Employer maximises opportunities

17 Sep 2008

When Arup Finance, an internationally renowned engineering and consultancy firm, gained silver level trainee accreditation in 2004, and ACCA Approved Employer status in 2006, it was in recognition of the support Arup offered its ACCA students and members. As well as paying for students' tuition, revision courses and exam fees, and giving them study leave, Arup has also embraced other supportive practices with the help of three ACCA members.

Mentoring for success

Yasmin Rojee, Eileen White and Adel Kenworthy are all ACCA members employed at Arup's London office. Yasmin and Eileen, both ACCA fellows, became voluntary mentors several years ago after realising that some of the ACCA students at Arup needed advice on study and on gaining practical experience. Last year, Adel was approached to help mentor the ever-increasing number of ACCA students. 'Since becoming mentors we've been involved with providing advice on practical experience, exam technique, and helping with continuing professional development queries. We also actively encourage students to maximise their opportunities in and out of the workplace,' explains Yasmin.

Workshops are also held regularly. These cover a wide range of topics including presentation skills, exam technique, mind mapping, minute taking, organising meetings, changes to exams and practical experience requirements following the introduction of the ACCA Qualification, and visits by tuition providers. The workshops aim to be fun as well as confidence boosting. More recently, they have been chaired by students, thereby providing even more practical experience.

'The feedback from students has been really positive,' says Adel. 'Workshops are a great networking opportunity since students work in different sections and offices.'

'As mentors, we were particularly impressed with the presentation skills workshop,' says Yasmin. 'It provided a supportive environment for the students, some of whom had never done a presentation before. I think it gave them a lot of confidence. The hard work put into preparation was well evidenced in the standard of presentation and the varied communication skills demonstrated.'

'We also make good use of student accountant magazine as inspiration for discussions and debates,' adds Adel. 'This helps students build their confidence, allowing them to communicate effectively during a discussion. We are aiming to provide the students with skills that can be applied to their current roles.'

Eileen is currently the chair of the Finance Training Committee, which is tasked with keeping the study package and mentorship up to date. 'As well as looking at the financial support we offer for external tuition, we also look at the in-house courses that students should take to update their personal development. The ACCA mentors report into this committee,' she explains.

More recently, accountant forums have been held with representatives from each region. 'We have invited our external auditors, members of the other services groups, and other key business staff to lead workshops and give presentations,' explains Eileen. This has helped staff to interact and to develop relationships with staff in different regions. Secondments between offices are also offered to finance staff around the world.

Mentor experience

But why be a mentor? Surely it's just extra work on top of your normal working day? 'From the feedback we get, the students gain a great deal,' says Adel. 'It is good to share our experiences of juggling work and study.'

Yasmin enjoys mentoring for the personal reward. 'It is great to know that we're making a difference to the development of staff, and perhaps even preparing them as mentors of the future. The experience of being a mentor has helped me become a more effective manager, able to get the most out of people and myself.'

Shaping a better world

Mentoring at Arup has been built on the values set by Arup's founder, Sir Ove Arup, who stated that in Arup 'every member is treated as a human being whose happiness is the concern of all'. This can be evidenced by the high staff retention rate and a better than average length of service profile.

This is an abridged version of an article by Victoria Morgan, deputy editor of student accountant, published in the September 2008 edition.