Course for career in outsourcing industry

The Certified Finance and Accounting Specialist (CFAS) course for the Finance and Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) sector was launched by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) under the patronage of SLASSCOM.

The CFAS qualification, is a 18-month course, and is open for part-qualified professionals from the IT/BPM industry, as well as for students who have successfully completed the GCE Advanced Level examination in the commerce and accounting streams and hope to pursue a career in the outsourcing industry.

President of CA Sri Lanka, Lasantha Wickremasinghe said that the CFAS qualification will not only change the face of the FAO industry in the country, but the qualification will also be a stepping stone which will give Sri Lanka that all important edge to reach it’s ambition of becoming a global hub for outsourcing.

The CFAS qualification is a joint initiative, mooted by CA Sri Lanka, in its capacity as the national body of accountants, and endorsed and supported by the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), to produce finance and accounting professionals with suitable skills and knowledge specifically required for the FAO industry in the country.

CFAS is an industry qualification leading to learners becoming FAO professionals, where technical and professional skills have been blended to cater to the designated job roles for the FAO industry.

Chairman of the CA Sri Lanka BPO Task Force, Arjuna Herath said that the CFAS qualification will undoubtedly contribute to the enhanced standards of quality that Sri Lanka can offer the world as a FAO destination.

The CFAS qualification is offered at three levels; Trainee Associate, Senior Associate and Team Lead. The course which will cover a total of 12 learning modules, will focus on four major study areas; Finance & Accounting, Management Aspects, Process and Quality, and Professional Skills, and will be conducted over a period of three semesters. The lectures will be conducted by industry experts.

During the past few years, Sri Lanka has witnessed a significant growth in the business services industry sector. The vision of the IT/ BPM (Business Process management) industry in Sri Lanka is to achieve USD 5 billion in exports by 2022 while generating 200,000 jobs and facilitating 1,000 startup ventures in Sri Lanka, which is important for the country’s long term future.

The qualification is offered by the Business School of CA Sri Lanka, which was set up over ten years ago with a mission to deliver a relevant and innovative curriculum in a supportive learning environment, with an aim to develop business leaders who create, transform and sustain successful organizations both in Sri Lanka and overseas.