CPA Canada gains official recognition in Barbados

On June 25, CPA Canada received a Certificate of Recognition as an awarding body from the Barbados Accreditation Council. At the official presentation are (from left) Valda Alleyne, Executive Director, Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC); Bernadette Callender, Deputy Chair, BAC Board; Renatta Mohammed, Lead Business Development Consultant (Caribbean Region), CPA Canada; and Sharon Alleyne, Quality Assurance Officer, BAC. A special ceremony and media event on June 25 celebrated the official recognition of CPA Canada as an awarding body in Barbados. The Certificate recognizes CPA Canada as “an organization that grants qualifications to learners and has responsibility for developing qualifications; assesses and quality assures the qualifications; manages the assessment process for each qualification; awards qualifications; and provides customer service to approved centres and candidates” (BAC Glossary). Recognition criteria and standards are very demanding to ensure that any foreign awarding bodies and institutions that offer programs demonstrate integrity, equality, protection of the rights of enrolled students, and relevance in a local context. The CPA Canada application document, submitted in 2017, contained 33 pages of detailed information about the organization’s governance, leadership, planning, quality framework, programs and administration, supplemented by 22 appendices. Bernadette Callender, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Barbados Accreditation Council, presented the award to Renatta Mohammed from CPA Canada. In her remarks, the Deputy Chairman praised CPA Canada for seeking recognition in Barbados and meeting the stringent criteria for this achievement. Recognition in Barbados follows recognition from the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) achieved by CPA Canada in 2016. Barbados had previously certified the legacy CMA Nova Scotia body. Recognition opens up opportunities to partner with academic institutions in the delivery of CPA Canada’s education program and provides an avenue for students to access government funding toward their CPA studies. In accepting the Certificate, Renatta thanked the Barbados Accreditation Council. “With over 400 active Canadian CPAs in Barbados making their contribution in several sectors daily - and a growing number of students and prospects seeking to advance their careers in the field of accounting - this recognition is an official endorsement of the quality of our designation,” she said.