UP’s former Chartered Accounting students excel in SAICA exam

UP celebrates the achievements of three of its former Chartered Accounting (CA) students after they passed their second and final CA professional exam, the Assessment of Professional Competence of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), which was written in November 2018.

These former students previously performed brilliantly in their Certificate in the Theory of Accountancy at UP in 2016 and passed their Initial Test of Competence (first CA professional exam) in 2017 and are privileged to appear on the Assessment Professional Competent (APC) Honours’ roll.

“I remember the overwhelming sense of relief that came over me when I received a message from SAICA stating that I had passed – the four years that I had dedicated to my studies at UP had paid off. I was officially “technically competent’ and could now look forward to developing my professional career ahead of the APC, which I will write 18 months later. I currently work for Nedbank and have been fortunate enough to be placed in the bank’s real estate private equity team. I absolutely love what I do and am challenged daily. I have always had a passion for property, and I am finally able to put my passion to practical use,” said Mark Champion.

“The feeling was amazing, after receiving the news that I had passed. Years of hard work, dedication and sacrifice had culminated in a dream come true. It was wonderful to celebrate with friends and family that the Chartered Accounting South Africa dream was one step closer. I am so privileged to have received the amazing education that I did at UP. Its CA programme does not only prepare you for the professional exams but broadens your understanding of the working world and equips you with problem-solving skills that can be used in any business environment. I am currently completing my third year of auditing articles at Ernst & Young. The auditing experience has provided me with useful team management skills as well as  a real life experience on how a variety of businesses operate, which will assist me in my future career goals,” said Megan de Vries.

Megan de Vries

“I am currently completing my articles at KPMG, and I am enjoying applying the knowledge gained into real-life scenarios, with a variety of clients in a multitude of industries. I am therefore really enjoying the challenges and learning opportunities I got. I aim to continue learning, developing and challenging myself in the entrepreneurial and financial environment and to continue striving to be a highly skilled and knowledgeable person in many different sectors. I am also looking into starting and completing my Chartered Financial Analyst studies. My ultimate long-term aim is to establish my own businesses and being able to create meaningful employment and a sustainable business in South Africa,” said Michael Mills.

Michael Mills

Of 3 037 students who sat for this challenging final exam, only 12 top candidates (0.4%) were placed on the Honours Roll. UP contributed about 7% of the candidates who sat for this exam, so having 25% of the candidates on the APC Honours Roll is a sterling achievement.

Johan Oberholster, Deputy Dean, Economic & Management Sciences says: “Although the APC is written 20+ months after the Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting Sciences /Certificate in Theory of Accountancy and relates to professional competence, the fact that the three EMS Faculty alumni performed so well, is evidence of the extremely high quality of students who decide to complete the academic portion of their CA training at EMS@UP. The CA Education team at EMS is extremely proud of their achievements and wish them only the best in their brilliant futures.