Continuous sustainability education is crucial to help the finance and accounting profession keep up with the demands of developing regulation. According to a news release, AICPA & CIMA and PwC are teaming up to provide professionals with resources to upskill in this area.
AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, and PwC have joined forces to offer a new training course to help companies meet the requirements of EU standards, the release said.
The new e-learning course, Introduction to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, intends to “bring clarity to the complexity” of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which went into effect on 1 January, the release said. This is pivotal to companies reporting under the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Jeremy Osborn, FCMA, CGMA, Ph.D., AICPA & CIMA’s global head of ESG, said providing tools and resources for members’ broad upskilling is one of the Association’s “highest priorities”.
The release said the initial learning path includes three modules:
- Introduction to cross-cutting standards (ESRS 1 and 2).
- Introduction to environmental standards (ESRS E1–E5).
- Introduction to social and governance standards (ESRS S1–S4 and G1).
The jointly offered e-learning, available globally, is suitable for accounting and finance professionals seeking to understand the EU sustainability reporting standards, the release said. Upon completion of this 2.5-hour training, participants will be issued a co-branded certificate of completion.
“This collaboration underscores AICPA & CIMA’s ongoing commitment to fostering high-quality and trusted sustainability accounting and reporting, as well as our support for consistent and comparable reporting standards,” Osborn said in the release. “We believe that through this cooperation with PwC, public accountants and management accountants will gain the tools and knowledge to make businesses more sustainable and socially responsible, serving the public interest by instilling trust and integrity in sustainability disclosures.”
New UK sustainability committee includes AICPA & CIMA’s Osborn
One member of the new UK Sustainability Disclosure Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is AICPA & CIMA’s Jeremy Osborn, FCMA, CGMA, Ph.D.
The committee, according to a news release, will meet monthly to provide rigorous technical analysis of the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB’s) corporate reporting standards and advise on whether the UK’s endorsement of these standards would be beneficial to the country,. The UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) will support the TAC through providing the secretariat.
Sally Duckworth, a qualified accountant, is the chair of the committee, and she will be joined by 14 appointed members, including Osborn, AICPA & CIMA’s global head of ESG.
“As the UK contemplates its endorsement, our committee’s unique combination of skills will be instrumental in ensuring that [the new IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 standards] not only enhance corporate reporting but also drive meaningful progress towards a more sustainable economy,” Duckworth said in the release. “Our collaborative efforts will set a robust foundation for making informed investment decisions that will ensure the UK leads the way in sustainable investment.”
— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Steph Brown at Stephanie.Brown@aicpa-cima.com.
