sasol TOPP programme for trainee accountants

Transcription

1 TOPP I N T E G R The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants I T S A CHIETA CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES EDUCATION & TRAINING AUTHORITY sasol TOPP programme for trainee accountants Have you got what it takes to become a Chartered Accountant?

2 sasol at a glance Founded in 1950, Sasol is an integrated oil and gas company with substantial chemical interests. In South Africa, we support these operations by mining coal and converting it into synthetic fuels and chemicals through our world-renowned, proprietary Fischer- Tropsch (FT) technology. We have chemical manufacturing and marketing operations in South Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. Our larger chemical portfolios include monomers, polymers, solvents, olefins, surfactants, surfactant intermediates, comonomers, waxes, phenolics, ammonia, fertilisers and commercial explosives. We produce oil in Gabon and intend to increase our oil and gas production in selected regions around the world, including Mozambique and West Africa. In South Africa, we refine imported oil into liquid fuels and retail our liquid fuels (derived from coal, gas and oil) and lubricants through Sasol convenience centres and Exel service stations.we also sell liquid fuels to other distributors in South Africa and export fuels to a few sub-saharan African countries. We produce natural gas in Mozambique for supply to customers and as feedstock for some of our fuel and chemical production in South Africa. In January 2007, we started up our first international joint-venture gas-toliquids (GTL) plant in Qatar. This plant uses our proprietary Sasol Slurry Phase Distillate process. A second GTL plant is under construction in Nigeria for planned completion in page 2

3 our vision and values Our vision To be a respected global enterprise, harnessing our talents in applying unique, innovative and competitive technologies to excel in selected markets in the energy and chemicals sectors in Southern Africa and worldwide. Our values Customer focus We meet customers' needs by providing world-class service, optimal product performance and efficient support systems. Winning with people We respect and encourage individuals to grow as unique contributors to their teams. We reward performance and promote sharing and the harnessing of diversity. Safety We commit to eliminate all incidents and work to world-class safety standards. Excellence in all we do We pursue world-class business and operating standards and superior performance within a framework of sound governance and internationally accepted health and environmental standards and practices. Continuous improvement Our innovative spirit drives us as we continuously improve our performance. Integrity We maintain the highest level of ethics, fairness and transparency in our interaction with each other, customers and all other stakeholders. page 3

4 sasol as an ATO of choice Sasol was registered as an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) in December As an ATO Sasol has successfully completed SAICA's stringent accreditation process and is therefore able to offer you the opportunity to obtain your accounting training outside public practice, under the Sasol TOPP Programme. Training is provided at our diverse businesses (mining, oil/gas exploration, fuels and chemicals) in Secunda, Sasolburg and Johannesburg and is supported by a formal mentorship programme. Your progress is assessed by qualified external assessors, while recognition is given for work performance and academic achievement. Talented individuals are identified annually and offered a training contract as well as employment. As a full-time employee, you will receive an attractive market-related salary and a comprehensive range of benefits including: Pension and medical aid A housing allowance Annual bonuses Ample vacation, study and exam leave Payment of board course and QE1/QE2 exam fees Training support for QE1/QE2 exams Technical and professional skills training As a global player, Sasol offers challenging and rewarding career opportunities in financial management, project accounting, treasury, statutory and management reporting, taxation, mergers and acquisitions as well as general management. Sasol is therefore committed to investing both executive time and money into your successful completion of the training program, culminating in your qualification as a CA (SA). As a proud sponsor of the Thuthuka Bursary Fund, Sasol provides vacation work to these bursars and other accounting students. page 4

5 TOPP TOPP versus TIPP Training outside public practice (TOPP) was designed as an alternative route to the conventional training inside public practice (TIPP) route. Prospective chartered accountants can now choose between the traditional auditing and the financial management specialisation routes. Registering a learnership (training contract) under the TIPP Programme enables one to specialise in the audit function, while a learnership under the TOPP Programme allows one to specialise in financial management. A detailed comparison between TIPP and TOPP is provided on page seven of this brochure. Why TOPP? Reasons why the TOPP Programme was developed and implemented by SAICA included: The traditional route of training (TIPP) could no longer produce sufficient accountants required to support the South African economy. There was an increased emphasis on uplifting previously disadvantaged groups and on training. The vast majority of chartered accountants left public practice upon qualifying and took up positions in commerce and industry. This often resulted in re-training as the traditional training route focused on auditing rather than on financial management and business principles. Training in business requires trainees to gain experience in financial management and management accounting, financial accounting, taxation, internal auditing and corporate governance. page 5

6 Advantages of TOPP Advantages of training under the TOPP Programme include: Hands-on business experience. Dedicated training in financial management and all its functions. Broad exposure to a variety of business operations and management functions. An edge over those CAs who qualified the TIPP route and then left the profession, as they would have already established themselves in the company. How to apply If you have what it takes to become a chartered accountant you are invited to apply online by visiting our website and click on careers. The closing date for applications is annually on 31 March. B Com Hons in accounting/cta or equivalent qualification (e.g. PGDA) is a prerequisite for appointment and admission to the Sasol TOPP Programme. Those who are currently busy with CTA (or equivalent) may also apply for the intake of the following year, subject to passing CTA. Interested applicants should note that trainees are required to serve their articles in Secunda, Sasolburg and/or Johannesburg. page 6

7 TIPP versus TOPP There are both similarities and differences between the two routes. The similarities are shaded for clarity in the table below: TIPP TOPP Entry requirement to tertiary education Academic requirement to write Part 1 of the Qualifying Examinations (QE1) Workplace Specialisation Term of training contract Core experience obtained Core hours Specialism course Matric exemption with maths BCom Hons in accounting/cta or equivalent Audit firm Commerce and Industry (e.g. Sasol) Auditing Financial management 3 Years with a relevant honours degree (CTA equivalent) Auditing Management accounting and financial Accounting issues management Preparation of financial Financial accounting statements Internal auditing and corporate governance Taxation (income tax and Taxation indirect taxes) Audit specialism (6 months - part time) Financial management Specialism (6 months - part time) Examination Designation International recognition Register with IRBA (previously PAAB) Perform the attest function QE2 IRBA Public Practice Examination (PPE) Possible Possible QE2 Financial management CA (SA) Yes Not possible Not possible Trainee Accountants following the TIPP or TOPP Programme receive training of the same standard, with the main differences relating to the working environment and practical experience. page 7

8 TOPP I N T E G R The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants I T S A CHIETA CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES EDUCATION & TRAINING AUTHORITY sasol is committed to establishing a diverse workforce TOPP Programme Manager Sasol Group Services (Pty) Ltd PO Box 5486 Johannesburg 2000 e mail: topp@sasol.com For further information on Sasol please access our website, The Design Link