What makes OTI different?
According to Oxbridge Academy's MD, Barend van den Berg, the Oxbridge Training Institute's purpose is to offer "specialised accounting and finance training, not only for the private sector, but also for the public sector and local government."
OTI's academic approach will be based on LH Education's well-established model of blended, or hybrid, learning. "The model is based on independent learning," says LHE's Annie van der Merwe, "combined with a structured learning programme and some face-to-face tutoring. The model has proved to be very successful and resulted in a high success rate."
As its cornerstone, OTI will offer the AAT internationally accredited accounting qualifications. Van den Berg, who is himself a registered Chartered Accountant, says:
"The AAT has an excellent reputation in the field of accounting training. OTI is about creating an institution that endorses the highest standard of accounting qualifications. With the help of AAT in South Africa, and worldwide, this is the best and most respected way in which any person can start with an accounting career."
The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is one of the UK's leading qualification and membership bodies for accounting staff, awarding "around 90% of all vocational qualifications in accounting" in the UK. They are also "sponsored by the professional accounting bodies CIPFA, ICAEW, CIMA and ICAS" (AAT).
AAT qualifications are not only recognised internationally, but also locally through a partnership between AAT South Africa and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). According to AAT South Africa, multinational corporations such as Vodafone, Telkom, and Toyota also "actively seek AAT qualified staff."
AAT accounting qualifications offered by OTI:
The AAT's qualifications are based on real-time and real-world knowledge and expertise. The qualifications are designed to equip students with the vocational training that will help them succeed as qualified financial professionals.
OTI offers three streams of AAT qualifications, each consisting of three levels that are registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), registered with Fasset, and each paired with a Fasset learnership:
To read the full course descriptions, you can click here.
Prospective OTI students will be able to undertake an initial assessment to identify their correct starting level, based on their individual academic level and work experience. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) will thus be taken into consideration. You can contact OTI to find out more about this process.
AAT membership
AAT is one of the world's leading membership organisations for accounting professionals, boasting with over 120,000 members in over 90 countries.
Accounting graduates can apply for membership to AAT(SA):
"We offer you the opportunity to belong to a professional accountancy body that recognises your achievements and offers you a range of benefits. AAT(SA) membership offers professional status to reflect the skills you have gained and guarantees your commitment to maintaining and developing your competence." - AAT(SA)
As a professional organisation, AAT(SA) is "dedicated to the education, development, regulation and support of accounting technicians in South Africa." Future plans
LHE's Annie van der Merwe and Oxbridge Academy's Barend van den Berg already have big plans for the newly launched financial training school. With OTI, Barend van den Berg aims to establish AAT accounting training as "the flagship of accounting training in Southern Africa". But, going forward, the plans for OTI do not stop with AAT either. "The merger with LHE is essentially about Oxbridge's willingness to work with institutes that focus on expanding education," says Oxbridge Academy's MD. "We want to co-operate with even more professional organisations going into the future."
