If you're looking to enhance your skills in the field of accounting, it can be difficult to decide which route to take, as there are a wide range of different courses available for different roles. If you're someone who owns their own business, you may already contract bookkeeping work to a professional. However, it can still be beneficial to have a good understanding of the basics of bookkeeping to help you keep on top of things for yourself. The Intermediate (Level 2) course in Practical Bookkeeping can be ideal if you're in this position, as it provides a grounding in the double entry standard procedure, recording of income and expenditure, credit control and discounting, day books, VAT, depreciation, adjustments and other general principles. Because this course is accredited by the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB), this course is also popular with those who are employed in an accountant's firm, or work in the accounts office of a business or public body. An ICB qualification is a recognised part of a career in the financial sector, and the ICB is the world's largest bookkeeping body, with over one hundred and fifty thousand members worldwide. The intermediate qualification can also be built upon and developed by taking an advanced level course, which entitles those who successfully pass the exam to the Level 3 ICB Diploma in Manual Book Keeping. This course introduces topics such as stock control, data protection, disposal of fixed assets, incomplete records, as well as different company types; all of which lead on from the Level 2 knowledge.

For people who work with bookkeeping, or would like to, but who do not require such a full knowledge of the principles behind bookkeeping, a practical course on Sage Instant Bookkeeping is available. This is the software that is used by over 500,000 companies in the UK alone, and covers entering customer and supply information, updating and maintaining VAT information, editing the ledger, banking and invoicing procedures, and entering income and outgoings. Whilst this is especially useful when combined with an ICB qualification, no prior knowledge is necessary, and is particularly useful for people with general administration or office experience to enter the accounts field. Similarly, there is a course available for the Sage Instant Payroll course, which can help people looking for a career involving employee files, salaries, Tax, National Insurance, Holidays, pensions and so on. This function is often handled by Human Resources Departments, and therefore this course provides an opportunity for people working in this area to move across into something new, or for a Sage accredited qualification to prove their ability. For those looking towards chartered status in the years ahead, the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) courses on offer are recognised as an excellent starting point without requiring a degree. There is a Level 2 and a Level 3 course available, allowing you to gradually build your knowledge. These courses allow you to become qualified as an accounting technician, following which you can gain exemption from some of the requirements to become a chartered accountant with CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS and ICAEW, although the skills the courses themselves provide in both paper based and computerised accounting will be beneficial to a student's career, and demonstrate ability and commitment to an employer.

Related Courses: ICB Level 3 Professional, AAT Level 2 Certificate, AAT Level 3 Diploma, Sage Payroll Management, ICB Level 2 Associate, Sage Computerised Bookkeeping, AAT Level 4 Diploma, AAT Level 2 and 3, ICB Level 2 and 3, IAB Sage 50 Accounting