Are Accounting Programs Future-ready? Employability Skills

Abstract

The first aim of this paper is to ascertain the extent to which Master-level accounting units across Australian universities incorporate five specific employability skills: digital technology and intellectual, communication, teamwork and leadership and management skills. The accounting profession considers these skills as the skills required of accountants in the foreseeable future. Using the International Education Standards as a benchmark, we review unit outlines and synopses to identify whether these employability skills are reflected in unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Our research indicates that too often not evident in the documents examined are exposures to 1) digital technology and accounting software and systems, 2) assessment of oral presentation capability, 3) training that fosters teamwork skills before completion of assessable team tasks and 4) situations that model and develop leadership and management skills. The second aim of this paper is to offer recommendations for the inclusion of these skills into curricula. Based on the literature and best practices identified in this study, we formulate 13 recommendations that we feel, if implemented, would remedy the issues uncovered and improve the integration of these skills into all accounting programs.