Closing of the Public Accountants Certification Training project in Macedonia
With the graduation ceremony and delivery of CIPFA diploma to successful students, the CEF is, after 24 months, completing the project Public Accountants Certification Training in Macedonia. Working closely with the Ministry of Finance of Macedonia, the CEF has trained a group of 33 students on the first level and, for the first time, a group of 19 students based on the renewed PACT program on the second level.
With this training program the CEF aimed to establish and maintain international standards in public sector accounting, raise the status of the profession in line with EU countries, and enhance the ability of the beneficiary country to implement a modernized management accounting approach.
The PACT was designed by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and offered an internationally recognized, post-graduate, professional two-year training program, focusing on the practical application of accounting and audit standards to the special circumstances of the public sector.
The participants expressed extreme satisfaction with the quality of the training materials, and the knowledge and support of the tutors as well as the great value of the training. It is expected that the local authorities will make the training also locally available. The preconditions for this have been established through the project: the training materials have been translated into the local language; the local tutors are knowledgeable and eager to continue their role in building capacity of this profession in the country, and the institution to take over the training has been suggested by the localization working group. It is now up to the ministry how to take this further. The CEF is available for further support with project implementation.
The PACT project was financially supported by the World Bank Safe Trust Fund and the Central European Initiative (CEI). The representative of the World Bank Ms. Naceva emphasized the importance of building capacities to support economic development and establish transparent public financial reporting. She expressed satisfaction on behalf of the World Bank to be supporting such efforts in Macedonia. The CEI was represented by Mr. Candela, Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy to Macedonia, who stressed the significance of public sector accountability in light of the EU integration. The CEF representative concluded that apart from political will and donor funding, it takes people to learn and people to pass on education. It is now the task of the diplomaed course graduates to take this qualification to the next level.