ITB December 2024/January 2025 - Magazine - Page 6
EDUCATION UPDATE
FIVE QUESTIONS
C PA AU S T R A L I A
Dr Asheley Jones is the chief
learning and innovation officer
at CPA Australia. Jones is a
lifelong educator with extensive
experience in educational design,
particularly in the professions
sector. Her remit? To catapult
the CPA Program and other
professional development
courses into the future.
PHOTOGRAPHY JARROD BARNES
1. Looking ahead to 2035, what are the key skills
accountants need in the workplace?
Many people in their first accounting role will
be exposed to multiple career changes during
their first decade of employment. A lot of those
future roles aren’t here yet, which is why we are
building educational foundations to cement
accountants’ roles as trusted business advisers,
regardless of career path.
The skills they will need to remain workplace
relevant include technical literacy, particularly data
analytics, which is already highlighted as a key skill
by the latest World Economic Forum (WEF)
Future of Jobs report.
Data storytelling will be key. It allows accountants
to formulate suitable narratives to provide companies
with insights to plan, invest and develop targeted
and sustainable goals.
Critical thinking and problem solving — also listed
as WEF top 10 skills — likewise need to be honed
to support business growth.
6 INTHEBLACK Dec 2024/Jan 2025 SPECIAL EDITION
