Professional Accounting Technician (Level 4)

A key role within any accountancy and finance function, individuals undertaking this apprenticeship will hone their expertise and ability to create, verify and review accurate and timely financial information, meeting relevant ethical, professional and legal standards and accounting practices.

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners will be stretched and challenged to develop their technical knowledge and skills and to apply what they learn in their current role and future career.

There is a choice of pathways to suit different areas of specialisms within accountancy, with the option to gain an industry-recognised professional qualification alongside the apprenticeship.

Developed in partnership with globally recognised institutes and employers and firms of all sizes, a Kaplan Accountancy apprenticeship is anything but standard.

Who's it for?

This apprenticeship is ideal for organisations looking to develop talent that are seeking to further develop their skills and expertise and take on greater levels of responsibility to support your organisation’s finance function. Appropriate for professionals working within accountancy, finance, tax and bookkeeping within a variety of organisations, this programme offers a choice of pathways to ensure it has broad appeal, while Kaplan’s personalisation of programmes ensures the learning outcomes are focussed and relevant to your organisation.

Level 4 AAT Pathway: Appropriate for professionals working within accountancy, finance, tax and bookkeeping within a variety of organisations.
Level 4 ACA, ACCA, or CIMA’s CGMA® Pathway: Designed to provide an excellent start towards achievement of the full ACA, ACCA or CIMA’s CGMA® qualifications. Upon completion of Kaplan’s Level 4, learners can progress outside of apprenticeship funding to subsequently become fully qualified in a timely manner.

If you’re seeking to maximise the benefit of time used as part of off-the-job training and develop technical excellence coupled with sector relevant skills that can be directly applied to the role, this apprenticeship might be the right option for you.

Job roles

This apprenticeship is suitable for a wide range of roles including: Accountant, Accounts payable and expenses supervisor, Assistant Auditor, Assistant financial accountant, Assistant management accountant, Commercial analyst, Finance advisor, Junior analyst, but this list isn't exhaustive.

One of the key things to success is that the job role and Line Manager provide the opportunities, support and relevant work based experience to be able to contextualise and apply the apprentice’s learning back in the workplace, to gain real competency in that area.

Career progression

An apprentice’s journey doesn’t end when this programme has finished.

Level 4 AAT Pathway: The natural next step is to progress onto our Accountancy or Taxation Professional Level 7 Apprenticeship which enables them to become fully qualified accountants.
Level 4 ACA, ACCA, or CIMA’s CGMA® Pathway: The natural next step is to progress on to completing the remainder of their relevant professional qualification.

Eligibility

Employers may specify that candidates have at least a grade 5 GCSE (or equivalent) in maths and English. If apprentices don’t have this level of maths and English, Kaplan offers free resources and support to make sure they develop their understanding and application of these subjects by the end of the apprenticeship.

Each pathway has specific requirements that must be declared on the application form:

AAT: Q22 - MATS + FAPS or Q22 - FAPS (or AVBK and FAPR) and Introduction to Management Accounting (Kaplan Bespoke course).

ACA (CFAB): Two GCSEs (or equivalent) (grades 9-4 / A-C) passes in English and maths (or equivalent) or AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (AQ16 or Q22).

ACCA: Two A Levels (Grades A-E) and three GCSEs (or equivalent) (grades 9-4 / A-C) (in five separate subjects including maths and English).

CIMA: Two A Levels (grades A-E) (or equivalent) and three GCSEs (or equivalent) (grades 9-4 / A-C) OR AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting (AQ16 or Q22) or learners must have a relevant job role with six months' experience.

Kaplan will support you to assess the job role suitability as part of your application.

Costing and funding

The cost for this apprenticeship is £12,000

Apprenticeship funding

Employers can get government support to fund up to 100% of apprenticeship training. The amount available can depend on the size of your organisation, whether you’re a Levy payer or not, and whether you are employing a young apprentice. Find out more.

If you are looking to become an apprentice on this programme, there is no cost to you.

Level

Level 4

Apprenticeship

Professional Accounting Technician

Pathway

AAT, ACCA, ACCA Public Sector, CIMA's CGMA®, ACA

9- 18 months dependent on pathway

Costs / funding band

£12,000
Free for learners

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About the programme

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Strengthen your finance function

Build your core accountancy, finance and tax organisational capability at a fundamental level by honing your talent pipeline.

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Work-based learning

Our programmes provide a structured, applied learning route that ensures learning and skills are directly applied to the role and maximises the time used as part of off-the-job training.

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Support and insight for managers

We have robust processes and reporting in place to ensure you and your line managers have all the insight needed to help your apprentices progress and succeed.

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Support for apprentices

Each learner has regular 1:1 contact and progress reviews to keep them on track, review their portfolio, and get them fully prepared for their final assessments.

Routes available

Our Professional Accounting Technician apprenticeships combine specialised technical knowledge with additional online learning and work based experience to develop the necessary skills to build capability and credibility that can be directly applied in the workplace.

There are a variety of pathway options with end point assessments for industry leading professional bodies including AAT, ACCA, CIMA (Cert BA) or ICAEW (CFAB), depending on the chosen career paths.

AAT

The AAT pathway is suited to individuals who are working in a role that requires competencies in drafting financial statements for limited companies, recommending accounting systems strategies and/or constructing and presenting complex management accounting reports. At the end of this programme, if all mandatory and optional unit assessments have been passed, learners will also gain the AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting.

The pathway consists of 5 mandatory units.

Units include:

Financial Accounting (FNAC)
Management Accounting (MNAC)
Audit and Internal Controls (ATIC)
Principles of Taxation (PTAX)
Advanced Business Awareness (AVBA)

CFAB

This pathway is ideal for those with a role that requires a good understanding of business, finance and accounting. It provides essential practical skills and knowledge for today’s competitive business world. At the end of this programme if apprentices have passed all assessments they will also gain their ICAEW Certificate of Finance, Accounting and Business qualification.

The pathway consists of seven exams that introduce the essentials of accountancy, finance, and businesses.

Subjects include:

Certificate level:

Accounting Fundamentals (AF)
Assurance and Risk Fundamentals (ARF)
Business Insight and Performance (BIP)
Business Law (BL)
Sustainability and Ethics (SE)
Tax Fundamentals (TF)

Professional level:

Assurance, Risk and Reporting (ARR)

ACCA

The ACCA Accounting Technician Apprenticeship is an ideal choice for learners because it provides a solid foundation in finance, accounting, and business structures through the first part of the globally recognised ACCA Qualification. Kaplan’s Level 4 apprenticeship equips learners with the skills to understand various business structures and functions, enabling them to create, verify, and review precise financial information.

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners will gain comprehensive knowledge of ethical, professional, and legal standards, ensuring they are well-prepared to meet industry expectations. Additionally, the programme enhances their understanding of business systems and processes, as well as standard accounting practices. This holistic approach not only boosts employability but also prepares learners for a successful career in the dynamic field of accounting.

Subjects included:

Financial Accounting (FA)
Management Accounting (MA)
Business and Technology (BT)
Corporate and Business Law (LW)

Choice of:

Performance Management (PM) or Financial Reporting (FR)

And an interactive module:

Foundations in Professionalism

OPTION: Public Sector ACCA Pathway

In addition to all the above, for those working in the Public Sector, we also offer the Public Sector route which incorporates: the ACCA Certificate in Public Financial Management provides a practical introduction to the foundations of public sector finance, helping professionals develop a strong understanding of how public money is managed, governed, and allocated. Designed in response to the increasing complexity and pace of change within the public sector, the programme supports learners in understanding the objectives of public financial management, the public financial management cycle, and the key principles underpinning effective financial stewardship. The self-paced programme consists of 22 interactive modules and is suitable for new entrants to the public sector, professionals transitioning from corporate finance, or those with practical experience seeking formal development. On completion of the course and online assessment, learners will gain an ACCA Certificate in Public Financial Management and digital badge, demonstrating core public sector finance capability.

CIMA's CGMA®

The CGMA pathway is ideal if the individual’s role or future role involves business partnering across other functions within your organisation. At the end of this programme, if all subject assessments have been passed, apprentices will also gain the Level 4 Certificate in Business Accounting qualification, awarded by CIMA.

Subjects included:

Fundamentals of Business Economics (BA1)
Fundamentals of Management Accounting (BA2)
Fundamentals of Financial Accounting (BA3)
Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law (BA4)
Operational level: Managing Finance in a Digital World (E1)

Included in this apprenticeship

Attending scheduled classes in one of our training locations or via Live Online, apprentices benefit from the wealth of technical expertise and practical sector experience of our expert tutors. Classes are interactive and discursive, giving learners quality time with tutors and sector peers to support the development of their knowledge and skills and bring new perspectives to their thinking.

Self study

Innovative skills development

To complement the vital technical training, apprentices receive access to a series of online modules designed to support the development of sector relevant skills at the right time for their job role. Set within the context of familiar financial sector settings, learners are challenged to think about their role and the critical skills they need to develop to have a successful career as a finance professional. The modules give apprentices a safe place to think about topics such as:

Effective communication of relevant information across the organisation and to appropriate stakeholders in both written and verbal formats.
Honesty and integrity in all of their actions and interactions.
Respect for others and the ethical requirements of their profession.
Proactively managing their own development.
Effective planning and prioritising and co-ordination of others in order to meet both deadlines and changing priorities.
How information can be used most effectively to add value to the organisation.
Flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing environment.

Self study

Microsoft Specialist Skills

Optional modules covering core Microsoft products, over 100 hours of online tuition supports learners in preparing for Microsoft accreditations. Globally recognised, our tuition and exams available at Associate and Expert levels will equip apprentices with the skills to unlock the potential of Microsoft Office products.

Available in a range of subjects including

Word
Excel
Powerpoint

date_range Timetables

Programmes are running regularly throughout the year. View our timetables for scheduled sessions to see when the next one is running.

View timetables

Why choose Kaplan?

The leaders in accountancy training

Kaplan has over 80 years experience in designing and delivering programmes that help individuals to achieve results and business to achieve success.

Future facing

Our apprenticeships equip your employees to make a positive difference in the workplace, applying their learning in real life projects which can transform teams and cultures.

Comprehensive learning

Learners attend scheduled classes involving lots of practical discussion and application, and combine this with additional online learning that can be completed at their own pace.

Expert teaching

Our tutors are all subject matter experts, with real world experience, and teach groups of diverse learners from organisations across the UK.

Support for employers:

Named client solutions point of contact to support you at every stage
Recruitment service to help you hire an apprentice for a new vacancy
Transparency throughout the application and onboarding process for your learners
Sector expert tutors and talent coaches delivering relevant training and development
Learning that is applied to your organisation through work based experience
Accurate, timely and accessible tracking for each learner
Line Manager visibility of your learner’s portfolio dashboards

Support for learners:

Tutor contact via email outside of scheduled classes
Regular 1:1 contact and progress reviews with their line manager and a named, industry experienced talent coach to keep them on track to reach Gateway to Completion in a timely manner
Access to our Academic Support team seven days a week
Peer to peer contacts from across the industry as part of a small cohort - creating opportunities to spark new ideas and get new perspectives
Apprenticeship ePortfolio to track their progress, capture off-the-job activity and hours, manage and capture progress reviews, upload evidence, as well as communication with their Talent Coach
Student Service support available 362 days a year
Work based projects and support from a line manager to be able to contextualise and apply their learning back in the workplace