Editor's note

I’ve been with The Accountant and International Accounting Bulletin for over 8 years and one of the persistent topics has been around education keeping up with the rate of change.

Back then, the new technology that people were concerned about was blockchain. Now it is AI. There have been concerns about AI eroding entry level jobs, taking away responsibilities and changing how accountants at the start of their career gain their experience in performing routine tasks. While this view is being expressed, it is important to recognise that the accountancy profession remains a strong and prosperous career choice.

Throughout the year, we are inundated with press releases celebrating new accountants joining firms from all sorts of different backgrounds, graduate accountants discovering new ways for businesses to operate and budding partners, challenging the status quo. These success stories are only achievable because the accountancy profession is one that supports and fosters curiosity, learning, and education.

Throughout an accounting career, there is so much for practitioners still to learn as they progress through their occupation. For accountants to be viewed by clients as the trusted advisors, practitioners have to stay abreast with the latest regulatory and technology trends in business.

This Learning and Development supplement 2026, brings many of the profession’s developments and initiatives to the fore, that highlight emerging business models and initiatives to deliver the required skills and talent, required to sustain accounting jobs and business life.

In this issue we hear from our partners about the importance of having the right people to foster growth, how AI is reshaping expertise, the value that apprentices bring to accountancy firms, and much more.