Take your accountancy training to new heights
The AAT Level 4 Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship takes learners to the top of the accountancy industry. Our apprenticeship training is Government-approved and delivers candidates who are ready to be the next generation of accountancy leaders.
What is the AAT Level 4 Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship
The AAT Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting is the gateway to senior accountancy roles. It delves into complex accounting and finance areas, giving candidates a broad base of financial management skills. It aims to build on their previous knowledge. It tackles topics including recommending accounting systems and drafting financial statements for companies, as well as the composition of exhaustive, complex management accounting reports. People undertaking the course – which takes 15-18 months to complete – study some core units and choose others from a suite of options. Once qualified, candidates are ready for professional qualifications and promotion into senior finance roles.
What topics does the AAT Level 4 Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship cover?
AAT Level 4 covers:
In this unit, students get to grips with the budgetary process – how to put one together, how to recognise success and how to spot areas of danger. They also learn how to evaluate an organisation’s financial performance.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Understand how to implement the organisational planning process
- Be able to help a firm’s short-term and long-term decision making
- Know how to accurately report on business performance
This unit equips students with the skills for drafting financial statements for single limited companies and consolidated financial statements for groups of companies. Students gain an understanding of international accounting standards, which will then be applied when drafting financial statements.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Know the frameworks governing financial reporting.
- Be able to interpret financial statements using ratio analysis
- Be able to draft statutory financial statements for limited companies
This unit teaches students to consider the role and responsibilities of the accounting function, including the needs of those within the business who use financial reports to make key decisions. Students will review accounting systems to spot where the weaknesses lie.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Understand the role of the accounting function within an organisation
- Be able to critique an organisation’s accounting systems
- Be confident enough to suggest improvements to an organisation’s accounting systems
An introduction to UK taxation, this unit shows students how to identify tax planning opportunities while keeping ethical standards front and centre.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Know how to prepare tax computations for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
- Fully understand the UK's tax regime and how it affects businesses of all sizes
- Become fully conversant in tax relief, compliance tax planning opportunities and reporting to HMRC
This unit equips students with a full understanding of income tax, inheritance tax and capital gains tax.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Understand how to limit an individual’s tax liabilities
- Know how to calculate a taxpayer’s total income
- Be able to calculate payable income tax and national insurance contributions quickly
The legal rules of audits and assurance services can be a minefield. This unit gives students an understanding of the audit process from start to finish.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the audit and assurance framework
- Show they understand professional ethics
- Prove they can complete the planning process for audit and assurance and go on to review and report findings
Students completing this module must prove they understand the cash flow in a business. It tackles the external factors that influence financial decision-making and the preparation of cash budgets.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Be able to prepare forecasts for cash receipts and payments
- Know how to prepare cash budgets and manage cash flows
- Demonstrate they understand the importance of managing finance and liquidity.
Credit control and debt management are a huge part of an accountant’s workload, particularly assessing the risks around these areas. This unit gives students the techniques they need to make good decisions in line with current legislation and ethical considerations.
Upon completion of this unit, students will:
- Understand the laws and legislation impacting the credit control environment
- Understand how credit risk is assessed
- Know the different techniques available to collect debts
How White Horse Training supports accountancy practices, businesses and apprentices
The AAT Level 4 Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship is the next step in their professional accountancy career. At White Horse Training, we can help your team members take that big next step without piling stress onto your busy working day. We manage every aspect of your training needs, from identifying and booking the right courses to supporting your apprentices throughout their learning journey in a cost-effective, tailored way
Access Government Funds to cover 95% of training costs
The government funds 95% of the costs of an apprenticeship for . Our team at White Horse Training will walk you through the administration of this so you can access these funds with ease.
Your apprenticeship questions answered
Information for Employers
An apprenticeship can help you to expand or upskill your workforce and with Government financial support, for many businesses, recruiting and training an apprentice is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff on a higher salary. Apprentices are motivated to learn new skills and can be a great way to boost business productivity. By working closely with employers, we ensure their training is tailored to your personal business aims and needs.
The ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website is available for employers to advertise their apprenticeship vacancies and we can help you to access and manage this free service.
Individuals often send us their CVs if they are looking for an accounting role so that we can share them with employers who are looking to recruit. For further information please get in contact with us.
If your business has an annual payroll of over £3 million, then you will be an apprentice levy-payer.
The levy is 0.5% of your payroll which is collected by HMRC at the point you pay PAYE. This levy is reserved for apprenticeship training and businesses have two years to spend it.
As a levy-payer, you will be able to use the online Apprenticeship Service to create an account which will help you to choose and pay for your apprenticeship training. More information about the Levy can be found at www.gov.uk. White Horse Training deliver apprenticeships to levy-paying employers so call our team for further information about selecting White Horse as your Training Provider.
If you are a business with an annual payroll of under £3 million then you will not be paying into a 'levy-pot' and therefore are a non-levy payer. As a non-levy employer, you will share the costs of training an apprentice with the government - this is called ‘co-investment’, depending on circumstances the costs could even be fully funded. White Horse Training support non-levy paying employers with accessing this government funding so call our team for further information.
Working in partnership with the South West Association of Training Providers, White Horse is on the Register of Approved Training Providers for the delivery of Apprenticeships. We deliver timetabled teaching intended to complement work-based training. Our programmes are delivered at our offices in Bath and are based on five days a month block release.
White Horse Training was established more than 40 years ago - by accountants, for accountants and has been delivering apprenticeships since 1995. At White Horse Training we take care of every aspect of accountancy apprenticeships, delivering for levy-paying and non-levy paying employers in both industry and practice. We provide high quality accredited vocational training relevant to the personal employment aims of the Learner as well as the needs of the employer. We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching, and on the help, support, information and advice we give to students. This is reflected in our outstanding success rates in both AAT and Apprenticeships.
Information for Learners
Apprenticeships are formal, nationally recognised training programmes.
As an apprentice you will have the opportunity to achieve a qualification while developing your accountancy knowledge, skills and experience in the workplace.
As an apprentice you will be employed – earning a wage, whilst benefiting from an invaluable mix of theoretical learning and practical training. An apprenticeship provides an excellent foundation for your career and may be a perfect starting place for progression to further professional qualifications and the route to becoming a Chartered Accountant. Find out more about apprenticeships at GOV.UK.
The Level 3 apprenticeship programme is the Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship, which runs alongside the AAT Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting and together both provide you with the business knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to succeeding in a junior role in accountancy. We work to support both the apprentice and the employer to meet all the requirements of the apprenticeship standard.
The apprenticeship is delivered on a block release study programme of five days a month here at our Bath office.
An assistant accountant provides support to internal and external customers working predominately either as an assistant accountant within practice or within the finance function of an organisation.
The Level 4 apprenticeship programme is the Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship, which runs alongside the AAT Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting and together both provide you with the business knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to succeeding in senior accounting roles. We work to support both the apprentice and the employer to meet all the requirements of the apprenticeship standard.
Those starting under this apprenticeship would normally have acquired the knowledge as gained through the AAT Level 3 Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is taught on a block release study programme of five days a month here at our Bath office.
Individuals in this role will have responsibility for creating, verifying and reviewing, accurate and timely financial information. This role may exist in an accounting practice, a professional services company, HMRC or the accounting function of a business/organisation.
If you’re looking for an accountancy apprenticeship you can use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website to view and apply to available vacancies. As most of our accounting firms and some of our industry colleagues have a long-standing association with us, we may be aware of current or future employment opportunities. We therefore welcome CVs to share with those employers who are actively recruiting.
White Horse Training was established more than 40 years ago - by accountants, for accountants and has been delivering apprenticeships since 1995. We aim to provide high quality, accredited vocational training which is relevant to your personal employment aims as well as your employer’s needs.
Because we are accountancy specialists, and we work very closely with firms of accountants we know exactly which skills you need to succeed in the workplace. We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching, and on the help, support, information and advice we give to learners. This is reflected in our outstanding success rates in both AAT and Apprenticeships.
White Horse Training is a specialist AAT training provider delivering AAT at both Level 3 and Level 4. We teach face-to-face on a block release basis here at our Bath office.
We offer both the AAT L3 Advanced Diploma in Accounting and the AAT L4 Professional Diploma in Accounting outside of an apprenticeship and prices for this are available on request. We can also offer a payment plan and would be happy to discuss this.
If you are in relevant employment, you may be eligible to do the qualification as an apprentice, in which case training costs are considerably reduced, or even free, and would be paid by your employer.
For further information about AAT costs and the options available to you, please get in contact with us.
Apprenticeships: The Complete Guide For Employers
All you need to know about hiring an apprentice broken down in 5 easy sections.
You want to expand or upskill your workforce or you've considered how you could give a young learner the opportunity to start a career but you have questions ringing loudly in your head. How do I hire an apprentice and what does it entail?
This guide will explain all you need to know in regard to apprenticeships and the value an apprentice can bring to your business