Counting on U, so you can count on us
Posted on December 17th, 2021 by WLF
When you think about ‘lifelong learning’ and professional development in the accounting and advisory sector, what springs to mind? For most people their first thought is probably training in new accounting software or financial reporting and taxation legislative requirements.
These are definitely areas where we focus our professional development. But equally, we want our team members to be progressing their knowledge in many other areas too. We’ve recently introduced a management leadership training program, where we are seeing some great results and positive feedback. This is delivered by a local firm with an innovative approach, and we will be sharing a bit about it on our website in 2022.
We have also recently had a few of our senior staff take part in the CA Counting on U program.
Counting on U is an initiative between Chartered Accounts, Australia and New Zealand and Deakin University. It’s open to CA members, and provides training in mental health first aid and relationship building to better equip accountants to provide support to colleagues, clients and communities.
WLF Director Rachel Mendlik participated in the program earlier this year. As well as looking at expanding empathy and awareness with client relationships, Rachel gained a new understanding of the important of self-care. You can hear Rachel talk about her experiences in this short video.
Naomi Norman, a Manager in our Business and Personal Advisory division, also took part in Counting on U. Naomi’s client base includes a lot of rural businesses, and having grown up in a rural setting herself she has always had a good understanding of some of the challenges. Counting on U has empowered Naomi to feel confident in supporting clients through difficult times such as natural disasters, seasonal issues, restrictions on export and financial hardship. You can hear about her experience here.
We are committed to empowering our people and equipping them with skills that will help them to help our clients. While this has always been important, it is even more relevant with the challenges we have seen through the COVID pandemic.
