FUNCTIONAL ACCOUNTING EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOR SUSTAINABLE YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

Background of the study: The primary goal of accounting education is to produce competent and ethical professional accountants capable of making a positive contribution over their lifetimes to the profession and society in which they work. In the face of increasing changes that they will meet later as professional accountants, it is essential that students develop and maintain an attitude of learning to learn, to maintain their competence later as professional accountants. The accounting program curriculum should provide a foundation of professional knowledge, professional skills, and professional values, ethics and attitudes that enable them to continue to learn and adapt to change throughout their professional lives. These capabilities will enable professional accountants to identify problems, know where to find this knowledge and know how to apply it in an ethical manner to achieve appropriate solutions. The balance of these elements may vary but what is required is to develop the knowledge base, strong skills and ethical values in order to produce competent professional accountants with appropriate values, ethics and attitudes.

The field of accounting offers stimulating and challenging work that is constantly evolving. The accounting education program seeks to prepare the student for a general accounting career and eventual entry to any of the four major fields of accountancy: public practice, commerce and industry, government and education. Specific sample job opportunities are the following:

Entry-level jobs. Public practice: auditor, tax accountant, management consultant, financial adviser, forensic accountant commerce and industry: cost analyst, investment analyst, financial accounting & reporting staff, management accounting staff, tax accounting staff, internal audit staff, financial analyst, budget analyst, credit analyst, and cost accountant. Government: state accounting examiner, NBI agent, treasury agent, state accountant, LGU accountant, revenue officer, audit examiner, budget officer, financial services specialist education: junior accounting instructor

Middle-level positions public practice: senior audit manager, senior tax manager, senior consulting manager/financial advisory manager commerce and industry: comptroller, senior information systems auditor, senior loan officer, senior fraud examiner, senior forensic auditor government: state accountant v, director iii and director iv, government accountancy and audit, financial services manager, audit services manager, senior auditor education: senior faculty, accounting department chair advanced positions public practice: partner, senior partner, senior consultant/financial advisor commerce and industry: chief financial officer, chief information officer government: national treasurer, vice president for finance/CFO (for

GOCCS), commissioner, associate commissioner, assistant commissioner, (COA, BIR, BOC) education: vice president for academic affairs, dean the research intends to investigate functional accounting education curriculum for sustainable youth empowerment in Edo state.