Diploma in Accounting

The purpose of this programme is to enable learners to gain professional qualifications in the accounting field to meet the demands of the employment sector. The programme has been designed to meet learners who wish to pursue a career in the accounting field. It gives the learner a solid grounding in the skills of accounting. The programme successfully prepares learners to become assistants to accountants / bookkeepers/ financial managers. This programme will hopefully spur the learner to continue to study in the accounting field and continue the philosophy of life long learning.

The attributes a learner will have acquired at the exit of this programme are

• Play a vital role in the organisation; e.g. perform their particular duties that their position demands, such as that of a debtor`s clerk/ creditors clerk.
• Update accounts - daily, weekly and monthly
• Prepare financial statements
• Analyse and interpret financial statements
• Capture data on the computer to perform accounting transactions
• Maintain and reconcile books
• Maintain records of accounting information, i.e. financial transactions manually, for e.g. Petty

cash journal, crj, cpj, general ledger

• Cope with legal issues relating to their field / industry
• Perform the duties of accosting clerk
• Understand the auditing function of the organisation
• Communicate with individuals on a professional level
• Make use of accounting packages e.g. Pastel
• Calculate income tax and use income tax tables
• Understand the implications of the budget

This qualification will contribute to the full development of the learner with in the Accounting Environment by providing recognition, further mobility and transportability with in the field of Accountancy and Finance the skills, knowledge and understanding demonstrated within this qualification are essential for social and economic transformation and contribute to the upliftment and economic growth within the Accountancy sector.

The unit standards in the qualification are intended as building blocks that will make the learner a more Skilled, knowledgeable, informed, and efficient worker in the Accountancy profession.

Rationale of the Qualification

Learners who have successfully completed their second year of study in Accounting will be allowed access to this qualification. This qualification provides the qualifier accessibility to be employed in the accounting department of organisations. The skills, knowledge and understanding demonstrated within this qualification are essential for both social and economic reasons. And contributes to upliftment and economic growth within the organisation. The accountanting employees in an organisation play an integral role in achieving business objectives. This career has a high growth and there is constant need of skilled people. The qualification focuses on skills; knowledge, values and attitudes required for progressing further in the accounting field. The qualification structure is able to allow learners to obtain a broad understanding of Accounting specialisation and competence. It also promotes the notion of life long learning.

• Prior learning is taken into consideration on the merit of each learner and the Unique circumstances of each learner.
• The learner must have the capacity to learn from written material, and be able to be able to gather information and conduct an analysis of the information.
• Pass in 1st and 2nd year Accounting
• Grade 12 Accountancy

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

The qualification can be obtained by means of RPL.The learner has to provide proof of prior learning through references of work experience and tasks carried out. The prior learning may be informal, formal and non-formal learning and work experience.

N/A

Exit Level Outcomes

On completion of the qualification the learner will be able to

• Able to demonstrate practical Competency
• Competent in analysis and application of accounting principles e.g. in preparation of inancial statements and tax calculation,
• Able to effectively and accurately communicate financial information
• Competent in preparing financial statements of different businesses
• Competent in demonstrating understanding of the Employment Law and its regulations
• Demonstrate the ability to perform the Internal auditing function -and how to audit and follow up corrective action
• Able to obtain working knowledge of corporate enterprises and of the current legal provisions concerning businesses
• Competency in End User Computing Skills

Critical Cross Field Outcomes

• Develop entrepreneurial opportunities
• Reflecting and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively
• Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written presentation
• Calculate, analyse,organise and critically evaluate information
• Organise and manage one and ones activities responsibly and effectively
• Work effectively with others as a member of a team,group,organisation or community
• Identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking
• Exploiting education and career opportunities

• Provide evidence of learning competency ie.skills, knowledge and attitude in performing the accounting functions
• Problem solving and develop strategies to resolve problems
• Analysis of national and international problems and their requirements and opportunities
• Solve problems by utilising theoretical knowledge
• Perform research to identify business needs and opportunities and integrate information from different sources
• Provide supporting evidence in communication regarding ideas
• Use technology i.e. computers and internet
• Make connections from theory to practical application
• Contribute to the development of accounting principles

Integrated Assessment

The integrated assessment gives learners the ability to integrate concepts across the unit standards to achieve Competency for the purpose of the qualification. Integrated assessment is to assess the quality of performance Thinking and understanding. It is applicable to formative and summative assessment, which is both practical and theoretical. The integrated assessment must enable learners to display capabilities in integrating practical performance, concepts and theory.