Excellent career options for Accounting & Business students

There are good job opportunities in the SME sector, a GMIT Castlebar forum of professional accountancy bodies heard this week. The forum was hosted by the GMIT Castlebar Business Department for its accounting and business students on campus on Thursday 22 March. 

The briefing by representatives of Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) was also attended by the Vice President of Castlebar Chamber of Commerce Caroline Gordon, FCCA, CPA, as well as business people, local career guidance teachers and some secondary school students.

Caroline Gordon, chartered certified accountant, spoke to students about her personal experience of working as an accountant and running her own accountancy business in Swinford, Co. Mayo.  GMIT’s Carmel Brennan, Head of Accountancy Dept, Galway campus, spoke of post graduate opportunities within GMIT Galway, in particular the Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy, ACCA Professional Level 9 and Master of Business in Strategy and Innovation.

GMIT Castlebar Accountancy lecturer Caroline Clarke says the briefing was an opportunity for student to explore the various professional accountancy qualifications and find out about the differences between the qualifications. “The forum also highlighted the domestic and global value of a professional qualification in accountancy, allowing students to use their qualification both in Ireland and abroad.”

“GMIT offers excellent opportunities to accountancy students. We have exemptions agreed with the ICAI, CPA and ACCA. For example, students obtaining the Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Financial Management (Level 7) and the Bachelor of Business Honours in Accounting (Level 8) can qualify for exemptions from the professional bodies”. 

Michael Gill, Head of Dept Head of Department Business, Humanities and Technology, says: “GMIT Castlebar is delighted to have hosted the event where our students had an opportunity to research further possible career opportunities in accountancy and business. We were delighted to get such informative inputs from the different professional bodies, academics and members in practice.

“These events are important to us in guiding our students towards future employment opportunities.” added Mr Gill.

Further information and advice on accountancy programmes and exemptions at GMIT, Castlebar, can be obtained by contacting Caroline Clarke, Chair of Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Financial Management on 094 9043271 or Caroline.clarke@gmit.ie