I’m a Mentor,
Now What?
If you’ve recently become
a CPA mentor, thank you
and congratulations. As
the profession continues to
grow, the need for mentors
will only increase.
To become an approved CPA mentor,
you are required to complete
the online mentor orientation,
consisting of five, 10-minute videos
and the option to complete a quiz
that is worth one hour of continuing
professional development.
So now what? Candidates in the
CPA program are required to gain
practical experience through either
the pre-approved program route
or the experience verification
route (EVR). Candidates in the
pre -approved program route
are assigned a mentor by their
employer, while EVR candidates
must find their own mentor.
Candidates following the EVR are
expected to find potential mentors
through their workplace, colleagues,
or educational institutes. If, after
three months, candidates have not
found a mentor on their own, they
should approach CPABC to request
one. Once this request is received,
CPABC will provide candidates with
access to the mentor pool. After the
candidate chooses a mentor, the
mentor will receive an email confirming the candidate’s interest. The
mentor will be required to respond
to the candidate, confirm their availability, and set up an initial meeting.
CPABC has already recruited men-
By Bernadette Barton
tors for the EVR candidates. If you
are an approved mentor and you
have not yet been approached by
a candidate, this doesn’t mean your
mentoring isn’t required. It’s only
a matter of time. As is shown on
the infographic on page 7, CPABC
requires an additional “250 mentors for EVR candidates currently
enrolled in the professional education program.” And as the program
grows, it is anticipated that up to
1,400 EVR mentors will be required
in the near future.
To find out how you can give back
to the profession as a mentor, please
visit bccpa.ca.
Bernadette Barton is a career
counsellor at CPABC.
WINTER 2015
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