On 7 September, a licensed computer-based ACCA exam centre opened at the Faculty of Economics of Voronezh State University. It is the first such centre in the Central Black Earth Region. The idea of the project belongs to KPMG auditing and consulting company, which works in close collaboration with the leading universities in the region.
The centre gives young specialists an opportunity to take the ACCA examination in their own city, which is going to encourage growth and development of the local professional community of experts in finance and audit. The licence of a computer-based ACCA exam centre entitles VSU with the right to organise examinations “upon request”, i.e. any day and any time within the working hours of the centre. The licence is valid till 31 March, and needs to be prolonged every year. The examination can be held any time, and the papers will be automatically assessed by a licensed programme, which means that students will see the results in their personal ACCA account no later than 72 hours after the exam. There are 13 such centres in various Russian cities from Moscow to Yakutsk.
The opening ceremony of the centre started with a welcoming speech by the rector of VSU, Dmitry Endovitsky, and the provisional Head of the Department of Communications and Mass Media of the Voronezh Region, Ilia Sakharov.
“A licensed ACCA examination centre is a great contribution to the investment attractiveness of the region. It means that international investors can judge about the competence of the managers, auditors, and accountants by the certificates of the international association”, – said Dmitry Endovitsky.
Nikolay Simoyanov, a senior manager at the Department of Tax and Legal Consulting of KPMG company in Russia and CIS, talked about the idea of opening the centre in Voronezh, the prospects of the development of the centre, and the importance of such a partnership. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the ACCA, who gave more details about the examination and the services available at the centre. They also talked about the results of a recent research into the future professional requirements in the financial sector.
Last year KPMG and VSU signed a partnership agreement aimed at closer collaboration between the business and academic communities in the region, as well as effective recruitment of young specialists for the company. KPMG has taken part in a number of vacancy fairs and other events at VSU, and organised presentations for senior students. At the ceremony Dmitry Endovitsky also pointed out how important it is for the university and for the whole region that KPMG launched a division in Voronezh.
