The rise of the adaptive professional
As CAs start the year, Emma O’Dell of BPP highlights the skills that are currently at a premium with employers – as well as those in the ‘emerging’ bracket
Words: Fiona Nicolson
The rise of the adaptive professional
As CAs start the year, Emma O’Dell of BPP highlights the skills that are currently at a premium with employers – as well as those in the ‘emerging’ bracket
Words: Fiona Nicolson
It is often said that change is the only constant in life. But this constant is one that CAs can utilise to enhance their career, says Emma O’Dell, Skills and Capability Director at BPP, part of Lyceum Education Group.
Company research, which scans the horizons of employers’ skills requirements, has revealed there are four major forces reshaping the world of work today – global megatrends; economic and workforce shifts; technological evolution; and organisational change – and that these are the factors driving what companies want from their employees.
“These four interconnected forces are having an impact on everybody’s role,” confirms O’Dell. But you can make them work for you, she says: “CAs don’t have just to respond to the impact of those four forces on their career – they can play an active role in shaping the changes, rather than being shaped by them, through ‘workplace-success’ skills.
“These are the capabilities that help people navigate complexity, adapt to change and influence outcomes. They enable professionals to shift their approach from reacting to anticipating.”
BPP has identified a set of nine skills that employers are particularly looking for in these days of shapeshifting business needs. The nine are characterised by being hard to automate and/or easily transferable.
It is often said that change is the only constant in life. But this constant is one that CAs can utilise to enhance their career, says Emma O’Dell, Skills and Capability Director at BPP, part of Lyceum Education Group.
Company research, which scans the horizons of employers’ skills requirements, has revealed there are four major forces reshaping the world of work today – global megatrends; economic and workforce shifts; technological evolution; and organisational change – and that these are the factors driving what companies want from their employees.
“These four interconnected forces are having an impact on everybody’s role,” confirms O’Dell. But you can make them work for you, she says: “CAs don’t have just to respond to the impact of those four forces on their career – they can play an active role in shaping the changes, rather than being shaped by them, through ‘workplace-success’ skills.
“These are the capabilities that help people navigate complexity, adapt to change and influence outcomes. They enable professionals to shift their approach from reacting to anticipating.”
BPP has identified a set of nine skills that employers are particularly looking for in these days of shapeshifting business needs. The nine are characterised by being hard to automate and/or easily transferable.
The skills that pay the bills
BPP’s nine core skills for CAs
• Analytical reasoning
• Problem-solving
• Creative innovation
• Effective communication
• Teamwork and collaboration, locally and globally
• Inclusivity
• Digital fluency to use AI, automation and data platforms responsibly
• Resilience and adaptability to thrive through economic uncertainty and regulatory flux
• Continuous learning
BPP’s emerging skills for CAs
• Gen AI literacy
• Cybersecurity
• Sustainability mindset
O’Dell says: “Today’s CAs are expected to be technically expert and to have a broader ‘capability stack’ of core workplace-success skills, emerging skills and leadership capabilities. Together, these form the full ecosystem of what we call the ‘adaptive professional’ – in other words, someone who can both deliver today and thrive tomorrow.”
New courses for future-proofing careers
The in-demand skills required will be covered across 44 new courses from ICAS, in partnership with BPP. O’Dell says: “Our new programme has been designed with the future in mind. Every module is aligned to the skills that accountants need to succeed today and tomorrow.”
The courses are tailored to a range of different career stages, from trainee accountants, through to senior leaders. The programme emphasises practical application, using case studies and interactive exercises.
Transferability is key, O’Dell emphasises: “The skills CAs can develop from these courses are transferable across roles, sectors and geographies – this is essential in a business world that’s constantly changing.
“This isn’t about one-off training. It’s about building ongoing skills-development habits and preparing professionals not just for today’s challenges, but for the opportunities ahead. CAs need to be able to deal with this volatile, regulatory and economically difficult environment that we’re in and be able to influence it.
“The courses focus on helping CAs to future-proof their careers, by giving them all of those transferable skills that employers are looking for, in the form of foundational building blocks. This means that when the required technical skills and knowledge change, they already have that foundation to help them continuously learn and develop.”
“This isn’t about one-off training. It’s about building ongoing skills-development habits and preparing professionals not just for today’s challenges, but for the opportunities ahead”
Emma O'Dell, BPP
Honing leadership skills for the present and the future has been identified as one of the most important tasks – and not just for current leaders or leaders-to-be. “Anyone, from a junior trainee accountant all the way up to partner, needs to be able first to lead themselves. Then, as they move through the organisation, their role might require them to lead teams, and subsequently, to lead the organisation,” O’Dell explains.
“Our courses cover areas such as emotional intelligence, personal resilience, dealing with change and change management, as well as how to empower others, how to understand people’s strengths, how to coach effectively and how to build psychological safety and trust among your team.”
There is a focus on improving client service too, as O’Dell explains: “What CAs learn from these courses will also help increase their value to clients: stronger communication, collaboration and strategic thinking will elevate their advisory capability.”
Considering how CAs and other business professionals might go about amassing the skillset that today’s employers are looking for, she says: “We talk about a capability stack, where you build your technical, core, emerging and leadership skills that give you all the skills that you need.
“Developing this stack won’t just help CAs remain competitive, but will also enable them to lead. These capabilities drive long-term advantage, make continuous adaptation possible and help organisations thrive through constant change.”
View the full suite of ICAS courses
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