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Case Study: Amy Taylor

Kady Wilson
Trainee Accountant, CIPFA Student , Flintshire County Council

My Current Role:

"I currently work as a Trainee Accountant in the Education Finance Team. I work directly with schools, giving financial support to head teachers, Governors and business managers.

My role includes budget monitoring, identifying pressures and areas for savings, providing detailed staffing scenarios, presenting financial information to finance and non-finance managers, attending meetings and supervising junior members of the team."

In this section

What specific skills are you gaining from your studies?

Would you recommend the CIPFA Professional Accountancy Qualification to others?

“The leadership and management skills have been really good development for me but I have also found the background learning to public sector funding and the political aspects particularly useful to help me understand public services as a whole.”

“Yes definitely. Especially as it is so versatile in terms of the skills you develop, wider than just finance and numbers.”

Full case study

Why did you choose accountancy as a career?

My sister had already pursued a career in accountancy and she was always telling me I had the skills to do it so was intrigued to know more.

I went on a work experience placement at a local authority to see first-hand what it was like. I decided that I would like to train in the public sector and develop my career in the same way she had. I was impressed with the opportunities that were available and the study support that you could obtain.

Why did you choose the CIPFA Professional Accountancy Qualification?

CIPFA was the obvious choice for me because of the public sector nature of the qualification and it was an approved qualification, supported by my employer.

How is your study being funded i.e. are you being sponsored?

My employer sponsors my study, in-full.

To date, which aspects/modules of the qualification have you enjoyed the most?

The module I enjoyed the most was public sector financial reporting as I enjoyed the preparation of the financial statements and could really relate it to my role in Flintshire.

I also enjoyed the taxation module and gaining greater knowledge of how taxes apply to both organisation and individuals

What are your ambitions for the future?

My current aim is to get my full CIPFA qualification. I would then like to progress into a more senior financial management role and really start to apply the skills gained from my studies.