President's notes

YOUNG CAS- THE FUTURE IS YOURS

As I noted in last month's issue, attractiveness of the profession is a major theme in your Institute's activities. In this issue you'll find an article on the Young CAS Task Force chaired by Johan de Rooy FCA. The concerns expressed by the task force members included level of pay, public image, perceived failure rates, and training requirements. The concerns of our junior members bore a striking resemblance to the "burning platform" issues raised in the Vision Report at great expense by the senior members of our profession. The Vision Report remains the guiding force behind many initiatives to address these issues, including specialization and education reform. Since the Task Force completed its work, we have seen the launch of the CA School of Business, and the completion of a number of specialization initiatives. It will be interesting to see how these developments affect the outlook of the profession's of our newer members.

The views of our younger members play a key role in the long term success of the profession, and I encourage all young CAs to give us ongoing feedback on how we're doing. Better still, volunteer for an advisory committee or forum and make a direct contribution. I want to hear from you personally if you have a problem doing either. Send me an email at the address below.

RECRUITING DRIVE - PRIDE IN THE PROFESSION

Fall marks the return to school and, in the CA business, the start of the recruiting drive. In all my years working on Institute committees such as the Student Recruitment Committee, I have never before seen the levels of co-operation between firms and the Institute to recruit for the profession that I have witnessed in the past months. Representatives from the major firms, including managing partners and HR directors, are meeting with the Institute and CASB officials in a joint effort to ensure the program is successful. Moreover, there is a sense of pride that we are "the best there is" and we don't want to lose that distinction. We can do something about it, and we can attract a whole new generation of the best and the brightest to our number. That mood is shared by our partners in CASB, the western and territorial institutes, and by the CICA.

Each of us has the opportunity to touch the lives of others. Sons and daughters, friends and employees, all need direction and help in making career choices. Think of how you got to be a CA Take a look at the exciting developments in training and education that are taking place. Think of the new economy, technology, commerce, and finance. And think of the rigour of study, the discipline of acquiring traits of independence, objectivity, and professionalism that we all went through Pass it on to others. Tell that bright young person to take a hard look at what CAS do today, and get them to give us a call.

BC CHECK-UP

As this is written, our second annual BC Check-Up report is being published by the Vancouver Sun. The three-day release covers living, working and investing in BC and highlights how we are doing relative to Alberta, Ontario, and the country as a whole. I am pleased to report that this project, under the direction of Alison Morse, FCA and her committee, has received a good deal of attention. A delegation from the BC Liberal party met with us at the Institute to review the findings of the report, and Richard Rees and I met with the Minister of Finance and his advisors in Victoria for the same purpose. Richard will be presenting the Checkup to various Chambers of Commerce around the Province over the coming months, and will also be participating in BC Business Summit activities. A calendar of speaking engagements is available on www.bccheckup.com.

Each of you has been mailed a summary of the Check-Up. The full report of the Check-Up contains extensive amounts of useful information for members. It features easy to read graphs and well written

commentary. I urge you to obtain a copy of the full report from our website, or request copies from the Institute. Also, please call us if you would like copies of the summary for your clients, customers, Chambers of Commerce, and so on. Much credit for the success of the Check-Up and its high profile in the media and business community go to Lesley MacGregor and Craig Fitzsimmons of the Institute staff. Well done!

BY CHUCK CHANDLER, FCA,

PRESIDENT, CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF BC

If you'd like to give me your opinion, send me an email at President@ica.bc.ca

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia Oct 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved