Connections

From the corner store to Microsoft, every business must examine its finances when making decisions. From the daily tasks of purchasing and payroll to the mysteries of income tax and shareholder reports, the Business School at Humber College has a long and successful history of training its students to fulfill these functions.

Where do you fit into the world of figures? The Humber program can prepare students for positions in accounts payable, cost accounting, inventory control, internal auditing and payroll. Or it can prepare them to work towards designations such as Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified General Accountant (CGA) or Chartered Accountant (CA).

Graduate Vishal Grover decided to go for his CA accreditation. After a summer internship at KPMG, he enrolled in the Bachelor of Commerce program at Ryerson, with a major in Accounting and a minor in Finance, completing the university portion of his journey towards becoming a CA. "I got higher grades at Ryerson than most of my classmates." He attributes his success to the strong curriculum at Humber as well as the experience at KPMG.

Equipped with his B. Comm., Vishal returned to KPMG to start training for his CA. He will write three exams in 2009, after which he only needs to complete the time requirement. And because the Institute of Chartered Accountants recognizes KPMG as a training firm, some of that time requirement was met before he even got the degree.

"At Humber, students do their field placements at firms like KPMG and BDO. I received a notice of a job posting from the Program Coordinator, Michael Lee, that matched what I wanted to do," says Vishal. This access to employers is only one of the reasons Vishal chose to go to Humber rather than directly to university. He wanted the more practical experience and fewer students per class. He was not disappointed. "At university there are at least 200 students in the Accounting classes. You never get a chance to talk to the professors. Humber is like my family. I would just walk up to the office and talk to Mr. Lee. He helped me decide what I should do. Should I go for a CA? Or a CGA?"

Yanping Wu chose to go the CGA route. Also working at KPMG, she is a staff accountant who examines client records and prepares financial statements. She completed the three-year program in 30 months; she spent the last year working full-time while taking courses at night. She graduated from Humber in 2006 and expects to have her CGA in 2009. "KPMG has a connection with Humber," says Yanping. "The firm is so satisfied with the students that they offer placement opportunities every year."

Kerri Hartholt chose a work placement in a smaller accounting firm. She started her third semester at Humber working part-time at Marcia McCann & Associates, doing bookkeeping for small and medium sized businesses, including doctors, artists, consultants, a dance school, manufacturers and researchers. She says the variety of tasks and getting to know the clients are important to her. "Sometimes I go to their houses or place of business with my supervisor. I have done audits for nonprofits and lots of administrative tasks. My job is different every day.

"I can see how the businesses are run, how well they are doing day-to-day, year-to-year," Kerri continues. "I can watch them succeed and help them make decisions." She was well prepared for these tasks. "My boss is on the Accounting Advisory Board, so she helps develop the curriculum. The software programs we studied, Caseware and Profile, are used by 80 percent of all accounting firms. I use both every day."

Experience runs both ways: Kerri points out that her placement at Marcia McCann helps her studies as well. "When you can put real life situations into your learning, you better understand the concepts taught."

Graduate Allan Roque also works at Marcia McCann as he pursues his CA, with a promise of a partnership on completion. Allan says the firm only hires college graduates. "The interns we have taken on, we have hired full-time. Their co-op experience gives them real world expertise so that they have more to offer initially. They can pick up and run."