As late as mid-July, the memo about the hoped-for ‘summer slowdown’ didn’t seem to have been received – anywhere in the world. There was a crash – or at least a lot of froth being blown away – in the Chinese equity markets; a ‘will-they-won’t-they?’ Grexit (and I talk less about the reality, more about the impact of uncertainty); some glimpses of central banks preparing for rate rises; and no let-up in the regulatory bun fight. These all weighed heavily on the holiday plans of many across the business and political spectrum.
The ACT has spent the summer working very hard across a number of fronts to address these and many other issues for treasurers and the real economy.
We have put the finishing touches to our revamped education process. Due to their strong focus on employability and practical skills that you can immediately apply in the workplace, ACT qualifications (and training) are a win-win for employees and employers alike. Learning is coupled with excellent tutor support and valuable industry networking opportunities to complement the practical skills that you, and your teams and colleagues, will learn.
The ACT has spent the summer working to address many issues for treasurers
We have revised our syllabi against the new ACT Competency Framework, which is the result of consultation with senior treasurers from multinational corporations, banks, and learning and development teams worldwide. Mapping our qualifications against the skills and competencies of the framework means that we will continue to have the most up-to-date and relevant qualifications for real-world treasury practice.
Each qualification has been mapped to the four treasury job levels of the competency framework: tactical, operational, managerial and strategic. The new structure means that the ACT offers a progressive learning path for those choosing a career in treasury. Qualifying with the ACT will ensure that you have exactly the right skills and knowledge demanded by employers today.
Take a look – I promise you that it will be well worth your time and more.
There has been no relenting in our work on policy submissions or consultations, technical updates or interaction across the EU with regulators and legislators. We think that this detailed and often unsung work is critical to the development of any profession and completes what I would see as the full picture of ACT activity: education, qualifications and training; membership and professional development; and, lastly, a necessary commercial approach to provide more ‘grease for our wheels’.
The ACT is also taking steps to broaden our international exposure in both Hong Kong and China
Even our events programme has barely taken a pause because we ran webinars well into the middle of July. We took a brief break and will be running them again from early September. We have been particularly pleased to have ventured into video webinars this year and these have been very well received. (The ACT’s chief executive hasn’t yet made a live appearance, which, for some, is a blessing.)
Don’t forget, too, that the back catalogue of webinars is a fabulous resource of expert comment and practical treasurer experience as well. Keep your ears and eyes on our events and webinar page as we go into autumn.
The ACT is also taking steps to broaden our international exposure in both Hong Kong and China. Our ACT Asia Conference in early September will play a part in the launch of our qualifications in China during the autumn. For the first time, the ACT’s qualifications will be marketed in Mandarin Chinese.
This is a huge step forward for the ACT and it is significant not just for aspiring Chinese treasurers and finance professionals in domestic organisations, but also for non-Chinese companies that want to skill up their national workforces. To say that we’re excited might not be the British way, but believe me, we are. Watch out for the launch!
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the ACT events we have in our autumn calendar.
Colin Tyler is chief executive of the ACT
