Incorporating Information Communication Technology Skills in Accounting Education

Introduction

The accounting profession worldwide has come under close examination due to changing technology and globalization of the world economy. Technology has created competitive pressure within the accounting profession that has led to expectations that accounting graduates should develop non-accounting skills with increasing importance given to information communication technology skills. Accounting software and computer technology are considered essential to career by accounting graduates and employers (Kavanagh and Drennan, 2008). There is also more focus on technological skills during academic studies in the guidance published by Accounting associations and standard setters including the American Accounting Association (AAA) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) (Willis, 2016). Most organizations now require ‘Hybrid Accountant’ i.e. combining IT/IS competencies and mainstream accounting capabilities. “Hybrid” accountant blends different skills and knowledge of business management and information management (Ahmed, 2003). Universities across the world are now increasingly conscious of this trend and have been responding with suitable initiatives within the operational framework of degree programmes to develop both the necessary and in-demand interpersonal and applied skills that will make their graduates employable in their chosen field of study.

Interestingly, the impact of the skills challenge has a different dimension in different parts of the world. While many Western nations are faced with the challenge of too many graduates and too few jobs, Middle East countries are trying to reduce their reliance on foreign nationals by developing more local nationals capable of tackling the highly skilled jobs in fields such as accounting and finance and information and communication technology. Several countries in the Middle East, including Qatar have initiated national programmes focused on the development of human capital and the movement towards a knowledge economy. To equip graduates with the required skills in all fields including in Accounting and Finance, Qatar’s government launched an initiative known as Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). The initiative foresees that in the transition towards knowledge-based economy; future economic success will depend increasingly on the ability of the Qatari nationals to deal with an international order that is knowledge-based and extremely competitive. The vision will allow Qatar to develop its human capital as well as provide an effective example of how to re-skill workforce with up-to-date skills and competencies that will foster analytical and critical thinking as well as creativity and innovation to cater to the changing and complex needs of industry and commerce. In order to achieve sustainable development and maximise the success of related supportive initiatives, it is necessary to start at least from a graduate education perspective. The starting point is therefore a deeper understanding of the gaps and needs that affect the present settings of the graduate education system as well as graduate attributes when analysed against the skills and competencies demanded by employers. As this study is focusing on the importance of ICT skills in accounting education, it is vital to understand the current trends in the field and examine the job market to recognize if ICT skills is one the main areas that are required from accounting graduates. This study will be the first attempt to profile the use of ICT in accounting from a general perspective as well as from a GCC perspective. Given the significance of the finance and accounting profession in Qatar, this paper seeks to capture an overview of the accounting job market and current accounting software solution development. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. The next section reviews existing literature on ICT skills in accounting education. Thereafter, it highlights the importance and the requirement of ICT Skills in Accounting Job Advertisements and then it identifies the current software’s that are in use by accounting firms. Finally, it presents the discussion and conclusion section that outlines the findings and implications of this study.