Launch of Accountants Back to Work Initiative

French Duncan, chartered accountants has formed an innovative joint venture with recruitment consultancy Resolve called ëAccountants Back to Work Initiativeí with the aim of attracting accountants and bookkeepers currently on a career break back into the workplace.

With many qualified accountants having left the profession to raise families only to encounter difficulties when seeking to return to work due to the traditional inflexibility of the profession, the Accountants Back to Work Initiative aims to address directly such accountantsí requirements for more flexible working arrangements through the adoption of a more progressive approach that meets the needs of both the profession ñ which is presently facing a skills gap ñ and accountants keen to return to work.

Stephen Hughes, partner in French Duncan, said, ëThe Accountants Back to Work Initiative is designed specifically to address the requirements of those parents who have left the profession to raise families and are now seeking to return to the workplace. It does this by offering ëterm timeí working hours with recruits working on weekdays from 10am till 2.30pm ñ or at other times which suit both employer and employee ñ enabling parents to do the school run, whilst also providing 12 weeks holidays a year to coincide with school holidays.í

Such flexibility is possible because the nature of the accountancy tasks undertaken, accounts preparation and the processing of VAT returns, does not necessitate employees to be constantly available to answer client enquiries during normal working hours.

Muriel Gilbride, managing director of specialist accountancy recruitment consultancy Resolve, said, ëSo far as we know, no other accountancy firm has adopted such a progressive and flexible attitude towards working arrangements. This initiative will enable us to tap into a reserve of skills that is presently being wasted due to a traditional inflexibility within some sectors of the accountancy profession; an inflexibility that is now starting to change.í

The Accountants Back to Work Initiative will offer a comprehensive in-house training programme to address any skills gaps of those accountants who have not been involved actively within the profession for some time.

Ms Gilbride said, ëThe training programme is likely to be a major incentive in encouraging accountants back to work. If you have not been working in the profession for some time, it is easy for your confidence in your abilities to wane. The training programme will address such concerns directly by offering a range of upskilling and computer-based training packages.í

And as there is no age barrier, the Accountants Back to Work Initiative should appeal also to retired accountants keen to bolster their pension with additional income through undertaking key accountancy tasks on flexible working hours.

Any accountants interested in getting back to work should call Muriel Gilbride at Resolve on 0141 229 1314.