Now in its 13th year, the program supports local young people to work and study, allowing them to accelerate their careers, whilst providing financial stability during uni years. Since its inception, SCBA have supported ten team members through the cadetship program.
James Prictor is currently in his third year of studying Accounting online with La Trobe and says being part of the SCBA Cadet program has given him a head start in his career.
“This program has provided me with a career that gives me financial security and has built up my knowledge to such an extreme extent, that within the first two years of working, I had begun to develop my own clientele.”
James says staying locally to study and work has also set him up financially in life.
“I couldn’t justify the travelling to the city to study, at the end of the day, the certificate will be the same. Now I have even more credibility and experience from the work I have conducted here in Mildura. This has put me in a position that allows me to keep financially stable and after enough saving, I have been able to purchase my first home.”
Mikayla Trobbiani graduated in 2021 and took part in the Cadet program whilst studying Accounting with La Trobe.
“I was always very academic as a kid and grew up in a farming family business, so I was interested in business and finance from early on. The SCBA cadetship program has been the best thing for me in terms of accelerating my career as a professional and helping me to financially support myself as well.”
Both Mikayla and James agreed, there are so many stereotypes around accounting that are not representative of it as a career.
“We aren’t just bean counters! There’s so much technology and efficiencies now that we get the opportunity to do more than crunch numbers. What I love most about being an Accountant Is the people. I get to work with a great team of accountants, administration staff, financial planners and advisers. And I get to interact with lots of really lovely clients – it’s fulfilling for me to get to know new people, their businesses, their families and their motivations.
James says Accounting is also a great pathway to other careers, so guarantees career diversity.
“We are now in a phase where so much is changing and automation is becoming dominant, to the point where accountants are now becoming the advisors and are doing so much more than just data entry. Accounting is also an industry that is highly recognised and branches into many other career opportunities, not only at the level of taxation. “
James says studying online suits his own personal style of learning and Mikayla admits, the flexibility of online study, supports a cadet stye program well.
“I enjoy studying in my own time at my own pace. Some weeks were tougher for me than other weeks, whereas other students might have found those weeks to be the complete opposite,” James said.
Mikayla added, “In a cadetship, being able to study online was an advantage because I could work it in around my work hours better. As the course moved online after COVID, the quality of the degree itself was much the same and in fact it was better to learn from some new teachers.”
Southern Cross Business Advisers look forward to supporting the next round of individuals who want to become part of the program and team. For information about the Southern Cross Business Advisers cadet program, please visit https://www.scba.com.au
To learn more about studying the Bachelor of Accounting book in online for a one-on-one consultation.
