James undertook a three-week work placement Forensic Accounting position within Crime Command working alongside the forensic accountant team at Victoria Police in Melbourne. The placement was sourced by La Trobe University for James and was the final subject for him to complete his Bachelor of Business (Accounting). He’ll graduate in May 2020.
Jane Welsh, Detective Acting Superintendent, Finance and Cyber Crime Division said James settled in well and was exposed to numerous aspects of the forensic accounting area.
“James has been eager to learn and experience as much as possible in his short time and has made the most of his opportunity. He has attended workshops on all aspects of our cases from the initial referral, data collection/conversion, analysis, request for additional information and expert statement writing. He also attended court proceedings, a fraud case study presentation and undertook data conversation of bank statements using specialised software.
“A forensic accountant is a sort of financial detective, investigating fraud or financial irregularities, and providing evidence on financial aspects of an investigation to the court. They must have an enquiring mind and high-level analytical skills. When we are hiring, we look for technical knowledge of accounting, auditing and investigative accounting, and experience of evidence-gathering. We also look for interpersonal skills, especially communication,” says Detective Acting Superintendent Walsh.
James says he always found forensic accounting intriguing and had an incredible experience on placement.
“Upon completing my placement, being a forensic accountant is definitely a career path I could see myself pursuing, as the work is extremely interesting and it is a very exciting way to apply one’s accounting knowledge and skills.
“One thing that really stands out the most about my placement was my colleagues. They were such an amazing group of people to learn from and work with and being able to have access to these professionals and converse with them about the forensic accounting world and accounting in general was such a powerful learning tool for me that really built upon my overall understanding. Additionally, being able to have conversations with them about their own career paths was definitely something that really did help shape my fantastic experience and is something I am very grateful for.
James says studying at a smaller regional campus was an advantage when it came to securing his dream placement.
“A lot of time and effort has been put in by many people within the university to create this opportunity and for that I cannot thank them enough. If I was studying in the city, instead of here at Mildura, it would have been a lot more difficult to secure this placement. Being in a rural environment here in Mildura, I was able to lean upon the relationships and connections I had with university staff to be able to open this pathway and ultimately these connections were what gave me this amazing opportunity. The support I have received throughout the process has been amazing and is a pivotal reason why my dream placement became a reality,” says James.
James now hopes to relax over the Christmas break with family before looking to find a role that will provide him with professional experience and knowledge to help develop his accounting career.
Head of Campus Dr Deb Neal says another one of the benefits to studying at a regional campus are the work placement and internship opportunities.
“Employability is huge pillar of La Trobe and we work really hard on the campus to source interesting work placements and internships for our students. A benefit to studying regionally, is via the La Trobe Regional Reward. The Regional Reward guarantees all students have the opportunity to do a work placement while studying and we will support them to source that placement.
“We’re thrilled that James had a rewarding placement and I’m sure he’ll be snapped up quickly for a job, with that sort of experience on his CV,” says Dr Neal.
ENDS
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