ICAS ICAS logo

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  1. About us
    1. Governance
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Careers support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2022
    16. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. CA Stories
    4. Find a training agreement
    5. Why become a CA
    6. Qualification information
    7. University exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Become an Authorised Training Office
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Apprenticeships
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
  8. CA magazine
  9. Insight
    1. Finance + Trust
    2. Finance + Technology
    3. Finance + EDI
    4. Finance + Mental Fitness
    5. Finance + Leadership
    6. Finance + Sustainability
  10. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Business and governance
    5. Charities
    6. Coronavirus
    7. Corporate and financial reporting
    8. Cyber security
    9. Ethics
    10. Insolvency
    11. ICAS Research
    12. Pensions
    13. Practice
    14. Public sector
    15. Sustainability
    16. Tax
  11. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD courses and qualifications
    2. CPD news and updates
    3. CPD support and advice
  12. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
  13. CA jobs
    1. CA jobs partner: Rutherford Cross
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
  14. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  15. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

Developing your digital literacy

  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By CA magazine

2 March 2023

ICAS CPD partner, BPP, presents its latest portfolio of tech-based courses to help CAs stay abreast of their ever-changing roles. Julie Burniston speaks to two expert trainers to discover more

Read March's CA magazine now

The need for CAs to develop their digital skills has never been more important. As technology continues to evolve, the automation of many traditional elements of accountancy has fundamentally changed the way we do business. A measure of digital literacy is now a key skillset requirement for existing and future CAs.

Being digitally savvy allows an accountant to ask the right questions of the data, interpreting the detail and relating it to financial performance; to apply critical thinking, using professional scepticism to evaluate and interpret the results; to apply technical knowledge and project management skills to work more effectively with others; and, ultimately, to understand the business and be able to present and communicate key messages effectively to an audience.

“These days it’s almost impossible for an accountant to do their job well unless they keep on top of digital, IT and financial modelling skills,” says David Marlow, Program Manager, Financial Modelling, BPP. “Clearly if you’re in an industry like finance where there’s a huge amount of data and number crunching, no one is doing that on a calculator anymore. It’s all happening as part of your finance system, and you have to know how to utilise and make the most of it.”

With the world of IT moving at such rapid pace, the courses provided by BPP provide the perfect opportunity for CAs to upskill and take away priceless information. “Most people are only scratching the surface of what technology is capable of,” Marlow continues. “My speciality is Excel, and in finance that’s massively important. But as a tool Excel will only do so much if you don’t understand how it really works. It always amazes me how, after attending a BPP course, people say if only they’d had the skills years ago, they could have done their job four times faster.”

An employee with strong digital skills certainly has advantages for their organisation. Upskilled staff not only save precious time but contribute to reducing operating costs, identifying savings and efficiencies, minimising risk, boosting profit and increasing revenue streams, optimising decision-making and business performance, and identifying patterns and trends.

“Things are changing so quickly, and people need to try to keep up to date with what’s happening so they can make the most of it,” says Marlow. “The beauty of the BPP courses is that there is something for everyone. Going back to Excel, for someone with minimal experience we offer the one-day intro to Excel to get them started. They are then able to move on to the two-day Financial Modelling Comprehensive course, followed by the two-day Financial Modelling Advanced course. So there is a pathway for all.”

Data-driven world

Pratish Sharma is a Course Presenter for BPP. With a background in tech, HR, and finance systems, databases and data management systems, he acknowledges just how important continued training is.

“The world is now data driven,” he says. “As a society we are generating copious amounts of data all the time, and accountants, in particular, need to carefully consider and acquire data strategically. The finance world has seen a sharp increase in the demand for digital skills and everyone in the sector appears to be jumping on anything that could provide them with an advantage over their competitors. That’s why we are offering the tools and skills within our courses to allow ICAS members to stay one step ahead.”

Sharma applauds accountants’ willingness to adapt to new ways of working: “They know that if they don’t it’s going to be very challenging to keep up with today’s market. I see what people are facing in their roles on a daily basis, so the courses I have created and deliver give people skills which will positively impact the work they do.”

With an extensive portfolio available, delegates can pick and choose what is relevant for them, with a full breakdown of the course and any prerequisites clearly stated on the website.

“Every few years there seems to be a new trend, so as a researcher I get in touch with big entities to find out which problems are relevant right now and then create the tools to solve them. This year we have modules covering forecasting, predictive modelling, future focus, data analysis and mastering financial spreadsheets. They help us answer important questions like, ‘What would happen if we were to do x, and how could I use that to advise the board?’ That helps drive decision making for any business, and the skills we offer will put delegates streets ahead of our competitors.”

Learn more about BPP’s new suite of courses for ICAS members and other business professionals

Read March's CA magazine now

CA magazine: March 2023

By Sarah Speirs, ICAS Executive Director of Member Engagement and Communication

2 March 2023

Browse by course type

Browse our training courses by type and professional specialism.

2-23-totumpro 2-23-totumpro
ICAS logo

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • Facebook (opens new window) Facebook Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

ICAS logo

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: