here are always new developments in the industry,” explains Parsonage, whose employer, SAS, requires her to devote 40 hours to professional development every year. “It’s important to stay on top of changes so that you can provide the best possible services to your clients and the companies you work for.”

Colleague and fellow accountant Stephen Lennie shares that view. “It’s easy to fall out of touch, especially for the accountant who works in industry rather than at a firm,” he says. “But you have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Dynamic possibilities

The Canadian CPA profession is bolstered by a professional culture of career-long learning through ongoing training. Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) provides its members with many resources to help enhance their careers and professional growth, including conferences, courses, and webinars. The organization also has a career centre and a Women’s Leadership Council.

CPA Canada offers courses on a wide range of subjects including those that focus on tax, accounting, business and finance, as well as strategic planning and management. . Accountants in not-for-profit and other sectors can benefit from courses tailored to their specific needs, all eligible for CPD hours.

Parsonage, who graduated from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management in 2009, has taken several courses offered by CPA Canada. Some are accounting-specific while others emphasize business success skills, like strategy and leadership that can be used by professionals in other industries as well.

Indeed, one among the many events to be held this year is a four-day multiphase workshop designed to meet the business needs of senior not-for-profit leaders. “Translating Strategy Into Action: A Guide for Senior Not-for-Profit Leaders” is scheduled for May 30-31 and Aug. 24-25, 2016 in Toronto.

CPA Canada offers courses on a wide range of subjects including those that focus on tax, accounting, business and finance, as well as strategic planning and management. . Accountants in not-for-profit and other sectors can benefit from courses tailored to their specific needs, all eligible for CPD hours.

The organization also provides specialty post-CPA credentials in specific areas like forensic accounting and information technology. Requirements, prerequisites and hours vary from program to program.

To better accommodate accountants who, like Parsonage, have a packed schedule, the organization provides flexibility in its programs. Participants can study in classrooms, online (e-learning), or through a blend of both.

Looking out for Canadians

CPA Canada also takes an active interest in the financial well-being of all Canadians. In fact, it recently published a book aimed at individuals who are fifty-plus with a retirement plan that requires some work.

The book, The Procrastinator’s Guide to Retirement: How You Can Retire in 10 Years or Less, was written by David Trahair, a CPA and the author of several personal-finance books. “Canadians are not irresponsible; it’s just that life gets in the way of their plans to save,” explains Trahair.

This CPA Canada initiative will certainly be well received because many people share Parsonage’s view that “You can never stop learning.”