ABSTRACT

There is increasing pressure on higher education institutions to better prepare students for future work, augmented by widespread measurement of their performance using graduate employment metrics. Accounting is no exception with growing attention on whether, and in what ways, accounting curricula is aligning to labor market demands. This paper considers the importance of career preparedness among accounting students and higher education institutions’ effectiveness in achieving graduate outcomes that meet the needs of the profession. It contemplates the challenges in preparing accounting students for contemporary work and explores current practice in authentic and practical learning, particularly emergent forms of work-integrated learning (WIL) that are considered pivotal for engaging diverse student cohorts with the profession. We present key considerations when designing and implementing quality WIL programs, along with suggested strategies for enhancing WIL in the accounting discipline. The paper broadens thinking beyond internships to effectively strengthen accounting curricula in meeting industry needs.

摘要

越来越多的高等教育机构要求学生更好地为将来的工作做好准备，而使用毕业生就业指标对学生的表现进行广泛的衡量则加剧了这种压力。随着人们越来越关注会计课程是否以及以何种方式适应劳动力市场需求，会计也不例外。本文考虑了会计专业学生的职业准备的重要性以及高等教育机构在实现满足该专业需求的毕业生成果方面的有效性。它探讨了为会计专业的学生准备当代工作所面临的挑战，并探讨了在真实和实践学习中的当前实践，尤其是新兴的工作整合学习（WIL）形式，这些形式被认为是使各种学生群体参与该职业的关键。我们提出了设计和实施高质量的WIL计划时的主要考虑因素，以及在会计学科中增强WIL的建议策略。本文扩大了实习的范围，以有效地加强会计课程以满足行业需求。