INTHEBLACK July 2026 - Magazine - Page 47
“If you talk to accountants at any stage of their career,
they will tell you the same thing — it is not just about
knowing the rules, it is about applying them in real
situations. So, we deliberately designed learning around
the kinds of decisions accountants make at work.”
DR ASH JONES, CPA AUSTRALIA
Even for someone that might have a very
technical job, they still have to interact with
other people, problem-solve, adapt their skills
and think through issues.”
New Zealand’s focus on skills-based policy
has translated into making major changes
to decentralise its vocational education and
training system.
“We have moved away from a highly
centralised model because it simply could
not respond to what was happening on the
ground in different regions and industries,”
says New Zealand’s Minister for Tertiary
Education, the Honourable Penny Simmonds.
“While apprenticeships and trades remain
vital, we are also focused on supporting
upskilling across a wide range of sectors,
including professional, technical and digital
fields. As automation and AI reshape jobs,
New Zealanders need to be able to keep
learning, adapt, and move into new and
higher-value opportunities.”
REAL-WORLD COMPETENCIES
Accounting firms, including firms across
Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific
region, are already moving toward
skills-based workforce models, driven by
automation, regulatory complexity and
persistent talent shortages.
CPA Australia’s chief learning and
innovation officer, Dr Ash Jones — who
is responsible for ensuring all learning
and innovation initiatives, including the
CPA Program, are future focused — says that
learning across the accounting sector is being
redesigned around real-world competencies.
“If you talk to accountants at any stage
of their career, they will tell you the same
thing — it is not just about knowing the
rules, it is about applying them in real
situations. So, we deliberately design
learning around the kinds of decisions
accountants make at work. That means
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 47
