2. International Education Standards for Accounting Professionals (IES)
Competency of accounting students in today’s world is to respond the environmental changes and stakeholder needs (Black, 2012). In addition, American Accounting Association (1986) defined the best accounting student’s competencies as “creative thinking, learning to learn, lifelong learning, and communication skills”. Therefore, the IES are created by the International Federation of Accounting (IFAC) to improve and develop world accounting education standards. IFAC also aims to create a single standard for its 125 member countries which include the AEC member countries. The IES sets out standards relating to the skill, knowledge, values, attitudes and ethics which accounting students should strive to attain and thus seek to increase the competence of accounting professionals. However, the IES can be adapted for use in each country so that they are appropriate in different environments. The IES was launched in 2009 with eight standards, as follows:
IES1: Entry requirement to a program of professional accounting education including content of professional accounting education programs.
IES2: Content of professional accounting education program including accounting, finance, and related knowledge, organization and business, and information and technology.
IES3: Professional skill including professional skill, intellectual skill, technical and functional skill, personal skill, interpersonal and communication skill, and organization and business management skill.
IES4: Professional values, ethics, and attitudes
IES5: Practice experience requirements for aspiring professional accountants
IES6: Assessment of professional capability and competence
IES7: Continuing professional development including a program of lifelong learning and continuing development professional competence
IES8: Competence requirement for audit professionals