Join with AAT to “Fast Track Employment” after A/Ls

In the current context, parents make a concerted effort to ensure quality higher education to their children. This is clearly visible when one looks at Sri Lanka’s system of education. The key reason for that is the keen interest shown by the presentday younger generation for better financially rewarding and stable jobs with carrier progression.

As most of the Sri Lankan families are middle and low income oriented and they find it difficult to afford the luxury of sending their offspring to foreign-based universities or professional courses because of the enormous cost factor. As an alternative, they could make their children follow the AAT; a quality professional qualification which paves the pathway to reach the pinnacle of success in the child’s chosen fields in the long-term.

Clarifying further, Mr. Tishanga Kumarasinghe, the Chief Executive Officer of AAT Sri Lanka expressed his views on areas of concert of potential studentshas done G.C.E. (A/L) examination on August 2016.

What are the study programs AAT Sri Lanka offers to meet the aspirations of students and also assure parents that their children can secure a quality, recognized professional qualification?

AAT Sri Lanka is one of the premier accountancy educational institutes engaged in producing middle level account- ants to the nation. Founded in 1987, AAT Sri Lanka has had a student population of 250,000 which is approximately 1% of the Sri Lanka’s population. AAT Sri Lanka has revolutionized the education system in the country, by encouraging O/L students to start Professional Accountancy studies just after their GCE O/L Examination.

Many of the school children complete AAT final level before their A/L examination and enter the university with some Professional Accountancy qualification. It is with pride and pleasure we inform you that students who became Island 1st 2nd and 3rd and obtained high marks at G.C.E. Advanced Level commerce stream in the past years, have sat for AAT examinations continuously after the G.C.E. Ordinary Level.

What are the minimum qualifications to enroll for the AAT Course?

A person with any 6 G.C.E. Ordinary Level passes is eligible to enroll for AAT. A school leaver can complete AAT getting his professional qualification in the shortest possible time. Therefore it is not necessary to wait till A/L results are released; a student can immediately get registered with the Association once the A/L examination is over.

The important factor is that those who have sat for A/Ls in commerce stream are eligible to obtain exemptions to corresponding subjects in the AAT Syllabus. That is for a student who passes Accounting, Business Studies & Economics in G.C.E. A/Ls, he/she will get exempted from 3 out of 4 subjects in AA1 Level. The student can complete the balance 1 subject simultaneously with AA2 Level.

Furthermore, for a student who successfully completeG.C.E. A/L in maths stream, “Quantitative Methods for Business” subject is exempted for them.

What is the examinations structure and path to become a member of the AAT Sri Lanka?

AAT examinations are held in 3 levels – AA1 (Accounting Assistant), AA2 (Accounting Analyst) and AA3 (Accounting Associate), biannually in July and January each year. Upon completion of the academic part of the AAT study course, comprising of the above three levels of the examination, a student is expected to acquire practical experience including 1 year training and participation for the “People & Leadership Skills” workshop in order to put theory into practice to begin the career as a professional. On verification of eligibility criteria, membership is offered at the convocation. On receiving membership, one can use MAAT (Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians) after their names, which is a recognized professional qualification. Thereafter, one would enjoy elevated professional credibility and status, and increase opportunities for career progression.

Are there any exemptions available from other professional institutes for AAT?

While alone being a well acclaimed professional qualification with high job orientation, AAT qualification is also a solid foundation and an avenue for many other academic and professional qualifications.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) has granted exemptions to AAT passed finalists as a fast-track to become Chartered Accountants. Passed Finalists of AAT Sri Lanka are now fully exempted from Executive level I and KE3b - Fundamentals of Law of Executive level II of CA Sri Lanka examinations. This splitting of the Executive level Examination will be effective from the Executive Level Examination in March 2017 and accordingly AAT Passed Finalists would be eligible to acquire exemptions for four (4) subjects of CA Sri Lanka. Successful completion of the AAT course can receive generous exemptions from professional institutes such as CIMA, ACCA UK, CMA, IBSL, IPM etc.

On the other hand, if a student wants to graduate with an external degree, this qualification is recognized for registration by many government and foreign universities.

In which medium the course could be followed?

A distinct feature of AAT Sri Lanka is that the AAT course could be completed in

any of the three languages, (Sinhala/Tamil/English). This particular feature enables the students to follow the course in any language which is one of the national needs. Some students from remote areas are not yet thoroughly conversant in English. This language barrier has prevented a lot of people from pursuing higher education and AAT has stepped into help them. Is completing the AAT course costly? In comparison with other professional accountancy examinations, the registration and examination fees of the AAT Course could be considered very much affordable. It is a well-known fact that many students from rural areas face difficulties in obtaining professional qualifications as lack of funds become a major constraint. Recognizing this situation, AAT Sri Lanka offers its courses at a minimum cost affordable to students of low financial status. For instance, AAT Registration fee for a school student is Rs. 1,500, whereas Rs. 2,000 for others. AAT being a nonprofit oriented organization also extends its helping hand to those who have financial difficulties by providing various fee concessions and scholarships.

Is it essential to visit AAT head office in Colombo to obtain information?

While equally valuing the students who register with AAT from all corners of the country covering all districts, AAT Sri Lanka has made infra-structure arrangements making it not necessary to come to the Head Office in Colombo to obtain services and information about the AAT courses. Accordingly, AAT Sri Lanka is equipped with a network of 5 Branches and 8 Information Centres. Branches are located at Matara (0417559669), Kurunegala(037559669), Rathnapura(0457559669), Anuradhapura(0257559669) and Jaffna(0217559669) and Information Centres are located at Hambantota(047559669), Polgolla(0667559669), Gampaha(0337559669), Badulla(0557559669), Galle(0917559669), Ampara(0637559669), Batticaloa(0657559669) and Trincomalee(0267559669) covering the entire island. This geographical presence of the association in almost all the provinces helps AAT to offer a better service to its members and students. All these Branches and Information Centres provide a complete service providing details required to enroll and obtain study packs as well.

Which are the best places to follow AAT and how does one find such place?

The best places to study are the AAT Sri Lanka’s Accredited Education Centres (AECs). There are 82 study centres located around the island including North & East. As a responsible education service provider, we monitor these Centres for quality of work and results within certain criterions. Accreditation is given after they have proven they can deliver education to our students.

Is the AAT qualification recognized in the job market?

Accounting is no doubt at the heart of every business, and as such demand for accounting and finance skills is consistently high across all sectors. With MAAT on CV, one would demonstrate an accepted level of excellence and work-readiness sought after by employers. Especially, Small and Medium Enterprises sector prefer accounting technicians, and currently a substantial proportion of the employees in the SME sector are Accounting Technicians. There are many AAT qualified Accountants overseas, particularly in countries in the Middle East. For more details contact the AAT Centre at 0112559669.