The 3rd Public-Sector Accounting and Reporting (PULSAR) Education Community of Practice (EduCoP) took place in Vienna from November 28-29, 2018 with the aim to improve training, education, and continuous professional development aligned with international standards and good practice in public sector accounting and reporting. This Pulsar EduCop event gathered representatives of Ministries of Finance, universities and Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) to further explore the development of quality public sector accounting education programs available in participating countries. The event also benefited from sharing the important experiences with our donors the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance and Swiss Confederation, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and establishing collaborations.
During the workshop, participants prepared updates on the development of educational pathways for the development of accounting professionals in public sector in their respective countries based on the available Toolkit: Public Sector Accounting Education Plan and practices in their respective countries. The workshop also explored the mechanics of implementing an effective “Training of Trainers” (“ToT”) approach which has been expounded in a recent paper Public Accounting Reforms Sustainability of Capacity Building Options and Approaches developed by the Zurich School of Management and Law. The theoretical approach was then translated into a highly effective insight into the practical application of the ToT approach taken by the Austrian Ministry of Finance’s.
Furthermore, results of the Good Practice Guide Survey were briefly presented to the group and the Working Group for developing a Good Practice Guide on Continuing Professional Development in Public Sector Accounting has been established with additional members to join shortly. CPD good practices in Public Sector Accounting will be captured in a guide and presented during the next PULSAR EduCoP event.
The workshop concluded with a joint session with the STAREP EduCoP and explored the development of competency based education in accordance with International Education Standards. The team presented recently released Competency-Based Accounting Education, Training and Certification Implementation Guide to the group. Additionally, renowned professors presented Accounting Education offered at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Programs and teaching methods were shared with the participating countries and served as useful examples of public sector accounting education.