Accounting apprenticeships: Higher Apprenticeships

Emma Finamore
Last updated 21 Jan 2019

Explore the accounting apprenticeships available, for school leavers wanting to train at Higher Apprenticeship level.

You don’t need to go to university to get a great job in accountancy, there are many accounting apprenticeships available at the Higher Apprenticeship level, as part of the government’s business, administration and law apprenticeships framework.

Running a business involves a lot of financial activities, from expenses and bills to taxes and payroll. Accounting is a highly skilled profession, with accounting staff working at many different levels.

Accountancy Higher Apprenticeships: qualifications

Those completing a Higher Apprenticeship in this field can progress to full membership of the Association of Accounting Technicians. You could then complete a professional accountancy qualification with a chartered body.

This progression can lead to a specialist role in accounting. It’s also possible to enter a higher education course in a subject related to accounting, banking, insurance, or other financial services.

Accountancy Higher Apprenticeships: jobs

Those on Higher Apprenticeships could train in roles like accounts manager and accounting technician

Apprentices who qualify as accounting technicians might work as accounts assistants, credit control clerks, accounts clerks, or finance assistants, all helping accountants to keep financial records and prepare accounts.

Accountancy Higher Apprenticeships: skills

You’ll learn how to:

· Balance accounts

· Process invoices and payments

· Complete VAT returns

· Help prepare financial statements and reports

· Handling banking and petty cash

Accountancy Higher Apprenticeships: career progression

Through an accounting Higher Apprenticeship you could not only gain full-time employment, but maybe enough qualifications to do a Degree Apprenticeship in accounting. These programmes are very new so the areas you could move into are fairly limited, but extremely exciting. Degree Apprenticeships are available in accountancy, business, finance and law, and finance and accountancy.

Depending on the programme, those moving on from their Higher Apprenticeship in the accounting industry could also gain enough qualifications to do a sponsored degree or school leaver programme in a related job, if they wanted to pursue one. Sponsored degrees are available in accountancy, accountancy and finance, and economics.

There are school leaver programmes available in jobs such as trainee tax assistant, trainee accounts assistant and consulting.