Components of EPA PROA4001

Contents

Introduction

- How to use this book

- Purpose of the portfolio

- Schedule for completion

Writing a reflective account

- Tips

- Confidentiality

Components of EPA

Appendix 1 - Challenges to complete

Appendix 2 Report template

Appendix 3 Suggested mapping (separate document)

Synoptic case study

40%

Pass - 70% - 90%

Distinction 90% or more

Portfolio/ Interview

60%

Pass - 70%

Suggested material for portfolio

LO within portfolio

Links to programme

First Progress Review

Before your first review please sit down with your manager and review this document. In particular plan when you think you may complete each task. The suggested order may be suitable for you but you may wish to move this to suit your own experiences and work commitments.

If you and your manager thinks that you may not be able to meet any of the requirements please discuss this with your coach at the first progress review.

Task 1 Introduction

To kick your portfolio off you will need to provide some information about yourself and your employer. This will help your coach to get to know you and will also be useful for your assessor when you reach EPA. Make sure that your presentation and content is your best as this will help us to see if you need any support.

Outline of Task

Prepare your CV and write a 400-word statement explaining what your job role is and giving an introduction to your employer.

This should cover

Your CV

Briefly describe your role

What is your role within the wider team? (Remember to explain how your work impacts on others within the team)

A structure chart showing where you fit in

What accounting systems you use in your job role and what these are used for?

An overview of your employer and the markets they operate in. Try to explain what makes your firm successful, consider any specialism, unique selling points, location and the types of work undertaken

A summary of the various regulations which impact your business (12.1)

This statement will be used by your assessor to understand your role and the sort of work where you have experience.

Evidence

CV

Structure chart

Introduction to your portfolio

Introduction to your portfolio

Task 2 - Team work

Introduction

In Task 1, you identified the main team which you are a part of. In practice, you may play a number of roles within several teams such as client teams, audit teams or specialist teams within your place. This can often make it more difficult for you to manage your workload and your time creating conflicting priorities and often personal conflicts as you work with people who have different personalities to you.

Being part of an effective team can make our lives easier and allow us to achieve more than we would on our own. But being effective in a team is something which we have to work at throughout our careers. Teamwork is not always plain sailing as it can give rise to workplace conflict.

You may wish to look at the high-performing Teams module in FI learn for more information.

Task outline

In this task we would like you to reflect on the role which you play within one of these teams and how this role fits in with the rest of the team. For example, if you miss a deadline for a task who else is affected by this? How can you help your team to work more effectively?

Write a reflective account which covers the following

1. Your task must explain why a team structure is helpful in your work environment. (Tip try to think about how teamwork can help to solve problems using an example from your own experience) (2.5 6.1 6.5)

2. Your task must consider three ways in which you contribute to your team. (Tip - These may not always be about what you do but could be about how you do it?) (6.1)

3. Identify 2 ways in which you benefit from being part of your team. (6.1)

4. You must consider who relies on you in this team and what impact the quality and timeliness of your work may have on them. (6.3)

5. Explain how your behaviour can impact the team positively and negatively. (6.3)

6. c

Evidence

Feedback

Email evidence of working in a Team

Screenshots demonstrating teamwork

Process charts with annotations to explain how the Team members support each other

2.5

6.1

6.2

6.3

6.4

6.5

ISP Focus on Teamwork

Task 3 - Personal development

Introduction

You may have heard the phrase You never stop learning. It is an important skill to be able to seek and act on feedback about our own behaviour and work. This skill starts when you set out in your career and continues throughout your working life.

Task Outline

This task requires you to invite feedback and carry out a self-evaluation which is captured in a development plan or appraisal and reflective account.

1. Use either a scheduled performance review or book some time with your line manager and/or colleagues to invite feedback. Use this to write a self-evaluation covering at least 2 things which you do well and 2 things which you wish to work on. Include at least one interpersonal skill and one technical skill. (3.1 3.2)

2. Prepare a development plan covering the skills which you have identified above as well as professional learning which you will undertake. You can use your training plan to help you this as well as any internal courses your employer requires you to complete. There are lots of examples of development plans online but as a suggestion you could create a table with the following columns:

Strength or weakness

Evidence for this

Goals for improvement (SMART)

Target dates

Support/ resources needed e.g. training, research

Review supported by evidence (to be added in 3-6 months) (3.3 8.2)

You will be asked to revisit this plan in 3-6 months' time to see how you have performed so allow a column on your development plan to add your comments when you review progress.

When you review your development plan include an example of when you exceeded the expectations of your employer or client (9.2)

Evidence

Appraisal or feedback form

Development plan

Note: If you are new to your role, you may wish to delay this task until month 4 when you have settled in. If you identify any improvement points which can be mapped to any of the other criteria, dont forget to map to these as well.

3.1

3.2

3.3

8.2

9.2

Task 4 Communication verbal

Introduction

Communication skills are key to your success in the workplace. This could be the ability to explain difficult or technical issues, to explain your point of view clearly or to persuade people to accept your point of view. You will never have completed your development of communication skills and you will see that we return to it at different stages throughout your apprenticeship both throughout the Impact Skills Programme and in the Learning and Development Resources on FI Learn.

Do not underestimate how important these skills are! This task focuses on how well you use verbal communication skills and can be achieved using a formal presentation or using a one-to-one conversation which has challenged you.

Good examples may be:

Giving a presentation to school leavers or new recruits

Explaining a new process to your colleagues

Raising an issue with a manager or colleague

Explaining a piece of work you have completed to a manager

Regular team briefings or updates on the status of your work

Explaining an issue to a client

Task Outline

1. Write a development task which briefly reflects on the importance of verbal communication in your workplace with particular consideration to your team. (2.3, 6.3)

2. Write about a time when you have demonstrated your verbal skills in the workplace (either in a formal or informal discussion) and address the following points

Who were the parties to this discussion and what were you hoping to achieve?

How did you prepare for this discussion? (2.1)

How did you tailor your approach for the content and the intended audience?

Did you achieve the desired outcome?

If not, why not?

Would you approach this differently next time?

What did you learn? (2.4)

3. Ask your manager and colleagues how well they think you communicate with them. Considerations might be

Do you keep them informed about progress on your work?

Are your updates clear and easy to understand

Once you have collated feedback add any improvement points into your learning plan. (2.4, 3.1 3.2 3.3, 6.3, 8.2, 9.3)

Evidence

Presentation notes

Feedback

Revised learning plan

2.1

2.3

2.4

3.1

3.2

3.3

6.3

8.2

9.3

Most Impact Skills Modules will include some elements of communication skills

Task 5 Data analysis

Introduction

A large part of your role may be to produce data and spreadsheets. However, it is important that you understand where the data you are using comes from and what messages it is telling you. Financial information is often used to form the basis of management decisions such as how much to charge for a product or service, how many staff to recruit, or how much tax to pay. This task requires you to think carefully about the data which you produce and what it is used for. Alongside any data comes an obligation to make sure that the data is used ethically and that it is kept secure in accordance with legislation and the clients wishes.

Task outline

Using data which you have collated as evidence prepare a reflective account which covers the following:

What was the source of this data and how did you collate it? (5.1)

What tools did you use to analyse this data? e.g., excel shortcuts and formulae (1.1 7.1)

What management decision does the data support and what does this particular data suggest? (1.3 5.1)

How did you communicate this to the recipients? (1.2)

How well did you do this? consider whether the data raised any questions or achieved the response which you expected. (1.2 5.3)

What feedback did you receive? (5.3)

What have you learned from this task for your future work? (consider what went well as well as areas for improvement)

What steps did you take to keep this data secure and avoid the information from being lost? e.g back up processes as well as steps to keep data confidential (5.2 10.2)

The data itself should meet the following

1. It should be correctly labelled showing the source of the data

2. All columns and rows should have a label

3. Any assumptions should be given

4. Formatting should be consistent and easy to follow

Evidence

Spreadsheets

Reports/ emails supporting the data

Responses from recipients

Feedback

Evidence of using passwords and data security e.g. screenshots of password screens or similar

Evidence of back up processes

1.1

1.2

1.3

5.1

5.2

5.3

7.1

10.2

ISP Focus on data

Task 6 Communication written

Introduction

Communication is a key skill in any successful career and is one of those areas where we can quickly fall into bad habits. We often need to flex our communication styles depending on who we are speaking to and the type of information which we are trying to share. A good test of whether your communication methos was correct is whether you received the result which you were hoping for.

Task Outline

Choose a written communication which is required as part of your role. This could be to an external client, or an internal communication, but ideally should be a communication which you found challenging to write.

If you cannot think of a suitable opportunity, please discuss this with your manager. The communication must be of a reasonable length for you to demonstrate your communication skills.

Good examples may be:

- asking a client to agree an increased fee

- explaining a technical problem to a client or colleague

- delivering a message which may not be welcome

Using the communication as evidence write a reflective account which explains:

Why was the communication needed?

Why was it challenging to write?

What did you consider in drafting the communication? (Tip - think about the format, length, choice of words, expected reaction from the recipient)

Why did you choose this particular format? (2.1 2.2,)

What help did you get? e.g advise or a proof-reader (2.5)

How do you know if your communication was effective? E.g did you get the desired response from the recipient(s)? (5.3)

What did you learn from this task which may help you with future communications?

Evidence

Copy of the communication (and if appropriate the response)

Feedback

Drafts with review comments

There are two units in the Learning and Development resources which you may wish to refer to: Effective communication and Advanced communication.

2.2

2.3

2.5

5.3

Most impact skills modules include some focus on written work

EPA 1 Checkpoint

You should have completed tasks 1-6 to a high standard. You will have a day at college to review your work and to make sure that it is ready for tutor review. If you are up to date with all of your tasks, you may also have some time to start work on Task 7.

After this day you should submit your draft portfolio for its first tutor review.

EPA 1 day

Task 7 Personal effectiveness

Introduction

If you studied at level 2 or 3, you will have already looked at different ways to organise your workload. However, you may not yet have found the perfect method. This is a key skill which we all need to work on throughout our professional careers. The trick is to maintain a work life balance which works for you but also to meet your agreed deadlines and keep your work at the required standard. This may challenge your communication and prioritisation skills.

If you find this challenging, talk to your skills coach about what resources are available to you.

Task outline

Write a reflective account which considers how well you manage your workload. You should consider:

What methods you use e.g., urgency matrix, to do list, diary, workflows etc (4.1)

How effective they are for you

Include examples of how you try to plan for and pre-empt conflicting deadlines or becoming overloaded in busy periods such as month end (4.2 4.3 9.1 11.3)

Evidence

To do lists

Screen shots of diaries

Feedback

4.1

4.2

4.3

9.1

11.3

ISP - Leadership

Task 8 Regulatory requirements

Introduction

Accountants face a wide range of regulations from money laundering obligations to IFRS standards, tax legislation and also our own AAT Code of ethics. It is important that we keep ourselves up to date about any changes in regulations and that we build them into our everyday activities.

Task outline

Write a reflective account which considers the following points:

Explain at least three regulatory requirements for your workplace including a description of why they are important and how you keep your knowledge up to date and apply them. (9.3, 10.1, 12.1)

Explain when client confidentiality may be under threat and explains what steps you take in the workplace to protect this. (10.2)

Explain one other ethical principal and explains how you demonstrate this in the workplace (10.4)

Evidence

Evidence of training e.g., GDPR, Money laundering

Screenshots as evidence of applying regulations or confidentiality

9.3

10.1

10.2

10.4

12.1

Most AAT modules as well as PDSY

Task 9 - Scepticism

Introduction

Scepticism is a key skill during your apprenticeship and we exercise it every day as we consider information supplied to us from different sources. We often need to think about the source of information, who supplied the information and whether it is reliable. Examples may be - Is the KYC information suitable to identify the client and confirm it is a legitimate organisation? Does a particular expense qualify for a tax deduction? Is the expense claim supported by evidence? In extreme cases, we may be faced by fraud or experience cases which we need to refer to our money laundering reporting officer.

It is not always easy to know when you should challenge some information, especially when you are a relatively junior person on the team. As long as you question the information in a diplomatic and appropriate way, it is always better to ask the question rather than be caught out later. In most cases, the information will be proved to be correct and no further action will be needed. If you are not sure how to address a concern discuss it with your manager before acting.

Task Outline

Write a reflective account describing a situation when you have needed to verify information which has been supplied to you in the workplace. This is exercising scepticism. You should include:

A description of the situation

Explain what made you question the information

Explain what steps you took to challenge information

Explain the outcome (11.2, 12.2 and 12.3)

Evidence

Email or meeting note

Evidence supplied

Feedback

11.2

12.2

12.3

Audit and assurance AAT paper

PDSY course

Tax modules

Task 10 Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility

Introduction

It is expected that accountants will be able to play a lead role in promoting good practices in the workplace. A key area is corporate social responsibility. This relates to recognising the need to support society and to may also be extended to protecting the environment. Whilst there may be a good business case for having a good reputation in terms of increased sales or enhanced reputation, there is also a strong ethical drive for businesses to do the right thing.

CSR is often analysed under the following headings

People e.g. supporting the community, suppliers, workers and treating customers fairly.

Planet e.g. minimising waste, replenishing resources and minimising the carbon footprint.

Profit e.g. making a fair profit, paying taxes and not exploiting others.

Task Outline

Write a reflective account which considers how your firm supports CSR. Your account should consider

what action is taken

how this benefits society

how this may benefit your employer and its employees (10.3)

10.3

Task 11 - Leadership

We are moving towards the more advanced skills in your apprenticeship and you may now be starting to work with new apprentices who have less experience than you. This is a great opportunity for you to practice delegation skills. This is always a tricky area as it requires careful thought to make sure that you give the delegate clear instructions but do not micro-manage them. This may require thinking ahead to make sure that you anticipate any problems which the delegate may have. This is a skill which many people struggle with throughout their career. Get it right and you will become a respected and effective manager. Get it wrong and you will find yourself in conflict with your team.

There are additional resources on the learning and development platform which you may find helpful when you start to manage. You will also look at leadership skills as part of the ISP.

Examples

Looking after a new recruit or summer student

Sharing work with a colleague

If this is not possible in your workplace, please discuss this task with your coach.

Task Outline

1. Write a reflective account which considers how effective you were at delegating a task to someone else. This task should include:

A brief explanation of the task which you delegated and the reason for delegating.

How you planned the delegation?

How did you monitor progress of the task?

How effective do you think you were?

Did you get feedback on the task/ your delegation skills?

How will you improve next time you delegate work? (6.2)

2. Once you have reflected on your own performance consider what makes a good leader and how you will seek to develop these skills in the future. Include in your account an example of how you or someone in your team has demonstrated these skills. (6.2, 9.3)

Evidence

Feedback

Email or meeting note

6.2

9.3

ISP Focus on Leadership

Task 12 Adapting to change and competing demands

Introduction

The pace of change in business and society is, arguably, faster than ever before. We face changes in deadlines, expectations, work processes, systems and client demands on a daily basis. This can lead to competing demands on our team, extra stress and conflicts within the team.

However, managing change both on a personal level and at team level is a key skill. Those who can adapt to changes and still meet the standards of work expected of them are more likely to thrive in the workplace.

You will have considered approaches to change management as part of the ISP module and will probably have also found your own preferred approach to change.

Task Outline

Write a reflective account considering a situation when you have needed to change your workplan and approach. This may be a need to rework something or may be the result of updated information. Your account must cover examples of when you have worked independently to implement the change (11.1) and must address the following:

Why you needed to change your approach

What the changes were

How you made sure that you maintained the correct standards of work throughout this process (8.3)

How you managed your existing workload at the same time as the new demands on your time and maintained professional standards throughout (9.1)

Changes in the workplace often give rise to sources of conflict as people adjust. Try to think about the changes you have written about and whether there was any conflict within your team as a result. If this was not the case, can you identify where conflict may have arisen and how this was managed. (Tip - Try to explain the points of view of both parties to the conflict) (6.4 8.1)

Evidence

Reworked document

Evidence of replanning e.g replanned diary

Feedback

6.4

8.1

8.3

9.1

11.1

Task 13 Excelling in the workplace

Introduction

As you approach the end of your apprenticeship, it is a good time to reflect on what you have achieved. This task looks back at the learning goals which you set for yourself in your development plan. It also encourages you to reflect on what you have achieved and your learning so far.

Task Outline

1. Update your development plan from task 3 indicating what progress you have made towards the goals which you identified. (10.1)

2. Find a piece of work which you are particularly proud of and on which you played a lead role in driving it to completion. Write a short reflective account covering the following:

Describe the piece of work and what made it challenging

Explain why are you proud of this work?

What did you learn?

How does this task demonstrate professional standards? (11.1)

Evidence

- Work product

- Feedback email/appraisal/review sheet

- Updated development plan

10.1

11.1

Task 14 - EPA 2

You will have a full day at college to review your portfolio and make sure that it maps to every requirement. You may wish to update or combine some of your reflective accounts and your coach may have suggested some improvements to your portfolio.

At the end of this day, you should be ready to submit your portfolio.

EPA 2 day

Section

Page number

1

Introduction to my role and employer

2

Reflective Accounts

(Number these and describe each task in the contents)

3

List of witnesses

Number

Name

Role

Reference to report

E.g., see page 4