Training Tuesdays

I’m starting something new in my office. It’s going to be called “Training Tuesdays”. On Training Tuesdays I’m going to dedicate 1 hour to my CPE (continuing professional education) activities. Why am I doing this? Read on to find out why!

Why Training Tuesdays?

I have several reasons for starting Training Tuesdays:

• I know how important CPE is for BAS Agents and bookkeepers but if I don’t “book” time in to “train”, it will probably never happen! It’s so easy to let client work take up all of my time which means that everything else is put to one side. By “booking” in a time in my schedule to do training, it might actually get done (at least that’s the plan!).
• To fulfil the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) CPE requirements for BAS Agents i.e. 45 hours over 3 years.
• To help me keep up with the updates and improvements to the various accounting software supported here at e-BAS Accounts.
• To keep up with the changes and updates to BAS provisions i.e. GST, superannuation, payroll, fuel tax, taxable payments reporting etc.
• To make better use of other current software programs used in my office by learning more about them.

What types of training will I do?

There are many options available to me for training/learning and most of them can be done from my home office. The sorts of training I will do include:

• Accounting software how-to videos and webinars
• Bookkeeping association webinars
• Newsletter reading & other technical reading
• ATO webinars and seminars
• Other software training webinars & videos
• BAS Agent specific training courses
• Blog research (when I write technical pieces, obviously I must do research for them first – I believe this could be counted as CPE)
• Bookkeeping association network meetings (held away from the office)

When will I do the training?

I’ve decided that lunch time on Tuesdays would be a good time for training. It will help to break up the day in between client work and is also a time slot in which I am less likely to be interrupted. As there are so many varied options available to me regarding training types as above, I have created a timetable that will ensure I cover every aspect over time. I probably won’t stick to the timetable religiously but I think it will be useful as a general guide.

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I am hoping that by booking in an hour each week to train and learn, my bookkeeping skills and knowledge will continue to improve and develop. I am finding that every aspect of my job is changing and evolving so rapidly these days, that unless I force myself to regularly review these changes, I fear I may be left behind! Let’s hope “Training Tuesdays” will save me!

What types of training do you undertake? Do you do this at a regular time of the week or just when you can or when it’s available? How much time do you dedicate to CPE activities?