Practical experience is an essential part of earning your CPA designation.
To fulfill the CPA Practical Experience Requirements (PER) for the CPA designation program, post-secondary students must successfully find a job with an employer under the CPA Pre-Approved Program Route (PPR) or the Experience Verification Route (EVR).
It’s important for you to know that, while fall is a prime time for recruitment into the profession (particularly for public accounting employers), some employers recruit at different times throughout the year. Also, many employers hire students a year in advance, so CPA Alberta suggests that you begin looking for employment a year prior to your desired start date.
No matter what path you choose to attain your practical experience, earning the CPA designation will open up unlimited opportunities for you. You can train in industry (a.k.a., the corporate world), or the private or public sectors, helping to develop and evaluate a company’s financial business policies and contribute your skills and expertise to the overall success of the business. In public practice, you can work for a wide variety and size of firms, locally and globally, providing audit, assurance, financial planning, tax and business advisory services to clients. Both practical experience routes (PPR and EVR) are available in industry and public practice.
The resources below will provide you with relevant information to help you navigate through student recruitment and prepare you for employment.
Post-secondary Student Recruitment Framework
The accounting profession in Alberta has created a broad framework for approaching post-secondary student recruitment that provides guidelines on how students, employers, post-secondary institutions, and the Alberta designated accounting profession can all effectively and productively engage in the recruitment of post-secondary students into CPA training positions.
View the profession’s Post-secondary Student Recruitment Framework.
Some Alberta employers are voluntarily adhering to a structured Fall 2024 recruitment timeline for all accounting placements, including co-op positions, internships, and/or permanent positions that begin in 2025. This structured approach is employer-led and voluntary. For details, click here.
Student Recruitment Tips for Success
Looking for the perfect employer can be a bit stressful and making sure you’re prepared for career fairs, networking and interviews can seem daunting. Check out our Student Recruitment Tips for Success document that outlines the ways in which you can improve your chances of career success and finding the best employer for you!
Recruitment timelines are set at the discretion of employers and therefore many employers will have different dates for posting jobs. It is important for you to read each posting carefully and check the deadline.
Recruitment Special
Don't miss a special bonus issue of Capitalize Magazine's Recruitment special!
What is recruitment? Recruitment, in this context, is referring to when accounting and business students are trying to find a co-op or fulfill their practical experience requirements for the CPA Professional Education Program. In turn, employers are looking for post-secondary students to fill a variety of positions. Through researching and networking, students and organizations can each find their perfect match.
Capitalize Magazine - Recruitment Issue
Where to find job postings
You can find job postings through:
- The Career Services Department at your post-secondary institution; and
- Specific employer websites that may have their own job boards.