The future is here: ICAEW launches the Next Generation ACA
Sep 4, 2025
The role of finance professionals is changing and ICAEW has responded by evolving its flagship qualification to ensure that members have the knowledge, skills and critical thinking to thrive as technology and sustainability reshape the workplace and the economy.
The ACA has been ICAEW’s professional qualification for almost 150 years, regenerating and adapting to ensure chartered accountants have the right skills to support and lead organisations. Now more than ever, the qualification is increasingly relevant to business as well as practice, with businesses recognising the impact an ACA student and ICAEW Chartered Accountant has on their organisation.
This week students have taken the first exams of the latest iteration – the Next Generation ACA. The updated qualification represents a step change in the way the accountancy syllabus integrates technology, sustainability and ethics, and a reinvention in terms of how the ACA can be tailored to support each student’s development needs and professional interests.
Alan Vallance, ICAEW’s Chief Executive, says: “Our first students took their exams on Monday morning, and they’ll go on to be the first to complete this new dynamic qualification and become the leaders of tomorrow – facing complex challenges, embracing opportunities and driving change in an evolving world.”
Sustainability and ethics front and centre
Alongside embedding technology throughout the core learning modules, the updated ACA includes a dedicated sustainability and ethics module at Certificate Level – ensuring these are among the first topics tackled by students.
This addition to the core ACA exams is testament to the importance ICAEW holds these areas to the future of the profession. Richard Spencer, ICAEW’s Director of Sustainability, says: “Accountants play a key role in the shift towards a net-zero world. That’s why sustainability and non-financial assurance must be embedded in qualifications like the ACA.”
The new module teaches students how to combine non-financial reporting with financial metrics, as well as covering key ethical principles. This knowledge is then built on later in the qualification, with case studies included at the Professional and Advanced Levels to help students navigate real-world ethical dilemmas.
Specialised learning offers flexibility
Potentially the most significant change made to the ACA has been the addition of ‘Specialised Learning’ as a core component of the qualification, alongside its exam modules and professional work experience.
Students registering with ICAEW must now complete at least 30 units of Specialised Learning during their training that complement the other areas of the ACA. These units typically equate to an hour of studying on a specific topic or issue and are completed via new e-learning resources.
“Developed following consultation with thousands of students, members and employers, this new element of the ACA allows the qualification to be tailored to the needs or interests of those studying,” says Shaun Robertson, Director Education and Qualifications at ICAEW. Specialised learning gives students the opportunity to truly personalise their learning based on their sector, specialism or skills gaps.
The new suite of online courses are grouped into four areas:
Technical – covering areas, such as excel, understanding business operations, corporate finance, treasury and non-financial accounting.
Sector specific – including, manufacturing, technology, financial services, real estate, charities and public sector.
Professional skills – covering communication, project management, resilience and developing a curious mindset, for example.
Emerging issues and updates – giving students real-time updates on topics ranging from regulatory updates to new technologies.
“The Next Generation ACA is adaptive and flexible, meaning that students and employers can be confident that they have access to up-to-date support on areas that matter to their role and career aspirations,” says Andrea Cook, Director, Specialised and Lifelong Learning at ICAEW.
Tailoring professional skills development
ICAEW has also reinvigorated the way in which the ACA approaches the professional skills and capabilities needed by chartered accountants. An adaptable approach is taken to transferable skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace.
The ACA now covers 25 different professional skills across five key competency areas:
Communication
Critical thinking
Emotional intelligence
Leadership
Professionalism
By the end of their training agreement, students must achieve a proficiency level of experience in all skills and the highest proficiency level of accomplished in at least five.
Students and employers work together to identify which skills best support the individual in their work and their future career. These are then discussed as part of the six-monthly reviews. This personalised approach acknowledges that each student will have their own unique set of skills, while supporting their development across key areas.
Feedback from trainers and employers highlighted how important it was to acknowledge the technological and economic context within which students are starting the ACA and this has shaped the professional skills included in the qualification. Students entering the workplace may be digital consumers, but need support in developing their professional skills, such as interpersonal communication.
“Our aim is to empower employers to hold holistic and valuable development conversations with students and drive career longevity through transferrable skills, such as communication, critical thinking and leadership,” says Will Holt, ICAEW’s Managing Director for Education and Training.
“The Next Generation ACA is not simply an accountancy qualification – it provides the foundation for a life-long career. It has been created to provide knowledge and skills that chartered accountants can build on to evolve with the needs of employers, clients and the broader economy.”
[ICAEW Insights]
