Plus two students now have an easier route to joining the lucrative accounting profession. The apex accounting body is introducing a shorter version of the CA course that will create a new breed of accounting professionals who will meet the demand for accounting professionals, but will not be allowed to do the audit work that only a CA is allowed to do.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said on Thursday it will launch a course of accounting technicians from April 22 for undergraduate students. We are launching this course considering that there is a need for second tier of accountants, with so many accounting jobs coming up in the country, ICAI president Ved Jain told reporters here.

Mr Jain said the industry, in particular, service sectors like BPO and KPO, has been, for quite some time, expressing the need for people with accounting and related skills. Students can register just after their tenth standard exams to become an accounting technician.

They would be required to take the eligibility test after appearing for their +2 examinations, Mr Jain informed. The unique difference in this programme and any other course is that we will produce people with practical knowledge unlike any theoretical course, Mr Jain said.