Training insights
Strong foundations
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If internal audit departments are to provide the support their organisations need and meet the ever-increasing demands of stakeholders, they must work together with others in the organisation who can provide assurance. They may also be bringing more people into their teams who are subject experts, but do not have previous internal audit experience or in-depth understanding of corporate governance. All these people – and others in the business working in compliance roles or on audit committees – may benefit from gaining the IIA Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk. Heads of internal audit, in turn, benefit from knowing that they can rely on other assurance providers and compliance functions to understand the corporate governance framework and work to common standards and levels of knowledge. So, by encouraging internal auditors in their teams who lack formal internal audit qualifications and others working in compliance to study for the certificate, they will also be supporting the business and reinforcing their own team’s work. It’s worth thinking broadly
The IIA Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk is aimed not just at internal auditors, but also at their colleagues in compliance, risk and other governance roles. Why should you be urging others to get accredited? about who this applies to since the costs and penalties of inadequate compliance are increasing all the time – and it is likely that the government’s work on audit reform will put more onus on the senior leadership team to understand the quality of the assurance they receive and where it comes from. A board that can state confidently that all the relevant assurance providers have gained the certificate will at least know that everyone
who needs it has a common basic level of expertise. This is also why the course is included as part of the internal audit apprenticeship programme. “One advantage of the certificate is that we do not have to focus on preparing candidates to answer exam questions, so the courses can be more flexible and activity led,” explains Marian Silltow, one of the Chartered IIA’s course trainers. “We have the freedom to explore topics and encourage open discussions about issues that attendees want to understand better.” The programme comprises five modules. “Corporate governance and risk management” and “Internal audit planning and assurance framework” are compulsory. Participants then choose two of the remaining three modules: “Effective delivery of audit and assurance”, “Interpersonal skills for audit and assurance”, and “Compliance audit and assurance”.They must complete a Personal Development Log for each module within six weeks of completing it and then, after finishing all four modules, they must submit a Professional Experience Record and
