Course overview

This toolkit is a 6 - 8 hours self-paced online SHORT course suitable for trainees as an alternative to the 12-months Ethics Continual Programmes. This course includes an e-book, with reflection exercises and also space available for both trainee and training officer to evaluate the course offering against the C9 requirements. ProBeta Training does therefore not assess the e-book results, but encourages the trainee to reflect, provide feedback to the training officer and also allows the training officer to evaluate the programme overall.

Furthermore, an online assessment is provided to test basic understanding of topics dealt with within the course outline. This is optional and available for purchase at R100.00 excl VAT per person. Upon successful completion, a certificate with the rating is issued.

PLEASE NOTE: ProBeta Training and the programme facilitators CAN NOT:

• Establish an ethical culture (Indicator #1) for the training office – we merely provide the trainee with the necessary tools to help encourage discussions of ethical issues and for considering these issues in engagements and interactions in and around the office.
• Implement structures and procedures to communicate ethical concerns. The training office needs to still develop, implement and apply such structures and procedures in meeting this requirement. It is also recommended that awareness of such structures and procedures be raised with staff members in the form of staff-meetings or staff-training, as it will be office-specific. (Indicator #1)
• Take steps to discipline individuals who display unethical behaviour – the relationship between ProBeta Training and that of the Training office is not that of an employer-employee relationship.

In this course trainees will learn how to apply ethical principles in practice and reflect during the online e-learning workshop (self-paced), collaborate and apply thinking and behavioural skills in the workplace.

The following agenda items will be addressed:

• What are ethics?
• Why ethics are important
• How to build reputation and trust through ethics in one’s career and business
• The consequences of ethical failure
• What drives ethical choices
• Different values and how they underpin behaviour in the workplace
• How to integrate ethical principles and apply them to scenarios that typically arise in the accounting industry
• Practical tools to help improve ethical behaviour
• How to make ethical decisions in complex situations
• The role of the chartered accountant in ensuring ethical and effective governance in organisations and his/her responsibilities in this regard
• The role of the manager/employee in building an ethical culture in organisations and his/her responsibilities in this regard
• Understands the implications of the Code of Professional Conduct

How to prepare for a SAICA Reviewer visit and What evidence to uphold

In order to support SAICA during their visits to the Training Office, we strongly recommend that you keep the following documents on record and accessible to the Training Officer and SAICA Reviewer:

• Presentation slides
• Rough notes (any notes you documented, ideas, important concepts, teaching points, examples, etc) on a piece of paper or on the printed presentation slides
• ProBeta Training Attendance Certificate with the rating achieved from the online assessment, multiple choice questionnaire you completed
• In-house attendance register, which you and your Training Officer signed as proof that you attended or completed the online training
• Completed and signed e-book with self reflection exercises

Self-reflection Exercises

We have included an e-book / workbook, which contains a couple of self-reflection exercises. 

While you complete the individual modules, please do complete the exercises in the e-book once prompted in the video clips / module content. 

We are not going to assess the e-book once you have completed the self-reflection. It only serves as a means to support you in order to reflect on teaching points shared with you and to comply with SAICA's requirements as per C9 above.

Please complete each exercise as thoroughly as possible.  There is no right or wrong answer.

Also, once you have completed all the exercises, you need to sign each page and have your Training Officer review and sign off as well, as proof that you took the content of the training into consideration and reflected sufficiently. Please file / store in a safe place.

Training Officer

There is an additional requirement for Training Officers to evaluate the outcomes from the programme.

SAICA does not prescribe the format and extent of the evaluation, however, it is important to have some sort of evidence available to show that Training Officers did consider the content of the programme/toolkit sufficient and appropriate.  This should be kept on file always.