Level 4 Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship

As a professional accounting technician apprentice, you will study advanced accounting and finance topics and tasks. You will develop confidence in a wide range of financial management skills and applications, gaining competencies in drafting financial statements for limited companies, recommending accounting systems strategies, and preparing and presenting complex management accounting reports. The course also covers specialist areas such as tax, auditing, credit and debit management, and cash and financial management.

Choosing this apprenticeship will equip you with the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviours to pursue a career as a professional accountant or tax technician. You will gain hands-on experience in creating and reviewing accurate financial information while adhering to ethical, professional, and legal standards. The course prepares you to work confidently within various settings, including accounting practices, professional services firms, HMRC, or the finance departments of businesses, making it a versatile foundation for your career.

You will develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills related to your chosen specialism—either accounting or tax. You must meet the core requirements shared by both areas, as well as one of the two technical knowledge options.

Upon completing the apprenticeship standard, you will need to demonstrate competency as a professional accounting or tax technician by meeting the following requirements:

• Technical knowledge (in accounting or tax)
• Business awareness
• Ethical standards
• Regulation and compliance
• Systems and processes.

In addition to these, you will also show competence in the following skills and behaviours:

• Analysis
• Communication
• Leadership
• Planning and prioritisation
• Producing quality and accurate information
• Team working and collaboration
• Using systems and processes.

Delivery will be in partnership with employers and adopt a blended approach of on-the-job and off-the-job training and professional development. You will receive training and mentoring in the workplace to enable you to demonstrate skills and create a portfolio of evidence which showcases the skills, knowledge, and behaviours. You will also attend weekly classes at college, during which all knowledge elements of the standard will be covered, and you will work towards achievement of on-programme knowledge exams via AAT.

You will be assessed throughout the apprenticeship through an exam-based route as well as a portfolio of evidence to showcase your work and completion of business-related tasks.

At the end of your apprenticeship, the college will work with you and your employer to help you go on to the next level of training or gain full-time employment, either with your current employer or another employer the college has access to.

Examples of roles as a professional accounting/tax technician apprentice include, but are not limited to, assistant auditor, assistant management accountant, assistant financial accountant, accounts payable and expenses supervisor, commercial analyst, payroll manager, senior bookkeeper, senior financial officer, tax investigations officer, personal tax assistant, and business tax assistant. The professional accounting/tax technician standard allows student registration with a number of UK professional bodies in this sector.

You will be allocated a designated tutor to guide you through your apprenticeship. We have a team of staff dedicated to providing learning support if required, as well as a Wellbeing Team that is on hand to offer guidance, support and help when needed.

Click here for learning support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/learning-support

We are one of the top-performing further education colleges for apprenticeships. Over nine in ten of our apprentices continue in employment or receive a promotion once they have completed their apprenticeship. We also have a dedicated apprenticeship matching service which matches your skills to a suitable apprenticeship employer. The college is dedicated to supporting you on-programme and helping you progress on to the next step.

To study this course, you must be working as an accountant or bookkeeper for an accounting practice, business, organisation, or HMRC. A previously gained qualification in a related subject at level 3 is essential.

Most candidates at this level are expected to hold a level 2 English and maths qualification, equivalent to GCSE grade C/4 or above. If you do not have English or maths at level 2 you must achieve this prior to the completion of the apprenticeship.