Sub Heading : The Western India Regional Conference organised the 23rd WIRC regional conference at C.C. Mehta Auditorium of M.S. University of Baroda on Friday. More than 750 chartered accountants participated

To fulfill the demand for trained accounting professionals and to support chartered accountants (CAs), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) plans to start a course for accounting technicians.

Uttam Prakash Agarwal, vice-president, ICAI said: "This course is aimed at supporting CAs and to meet the demand for accountants in the industry." Accounting technicians work in areas of accounting and finance, supporting CAs and associate CAs.

Prakash said the institute plans to produce one lakh accounting technicians in the first phase. "The industry needs qualified accountants, and CAs require qualified support. The accounting technician course will bridge both needs at the same time," he said.

"Careers in finance and accounting have become popular, and chartered accountancy is the most prestigious option in the field. With the increase in job opportunities in finance and accounting, the demand for finance course is also rising," said B.M. Agarwal, chairman of the Western India regional council of ICAI.

Enrolment to the one-year accounting technicians' course will be carried out through a centralised system. Anyone who has passed class XII can apply for the course, which will cover accountancy and finance.

The ICAI president said campus interviews conducted by ICAI would give students fair placement opportunities within a year completing the course. With the increasing demand for accountants, accounting technicians could get job opportunities not only in financial firms, but also in other industries such as IT, Banking and BPO/KPO outfits.