IAB Level 2 Certificate In Book Keeping

The course is recommended to those who have an interest in training for a career in book-keeping and who wish to gain a thorough grounding in the basic principles of maintaining business records. It is a suitable introductory course for those looking for employment as a book-keeper, or as a route towards flexible self-employment providing services to small local business clients.

Level 2 Certificate is a foundation level qualification and there are not formal entry requirements. your will need to be well-orgainised and enjoy working with figures. While desirable, it is not essential to have previous work experience in book-keeping or administratiion. Depending on your existing qualifications, you may be asked to take a Skillbuilder assessment of literacy and numeracy Skills, prior to being admitted on to the course.

The course comprises 16 weeks of tuition leading to an external examination, administered by the International Association of Book-Keepers (IAB). Your tutors are well-qualified both academically and in business and your course leader was nominated IAB "Lecturer of the YEAR" in 2006 by the IAB in a nationwide award. West Herts College consistently achieves pass rates with 90% or more and has won the IAB "Best College" award on many occasions.

This course begins with basic business definitions and students rapidly become provicient in double -entry book-keeping. From here they will learn how to create invoices and enter them into the books of account before posting transactions into the General Ledger. Students will be able to prepare and enter cheques and banking into the accounting system and will be able to prepare quarterly VAT returns for a business. By the end of the course, students will be able to record business transactions from source and prepare accounting records up to trial balance stage.

When will I receive my results?

Results will be forwarded on as soon as they are received at the college. Please note that certificates, where awarded, can take up to 4 months to be received at the college before forwarding on to learners.

Each lesson last for 3 hours, with a 15 minute coffee break at the halfway point. Topics are initially intorduced by the tutor and the emphasis is on guided hands-on learning, with students gaining thorough practical experience in every lesson. In this way, we prepare students effectively for the twin challenges of workplace effectiveness and examination success. Notes are provided to students each week via the college intranet, which may be accessed by students using their home PC online. A textbook and booklet of past examination papers is provided.

Each week, students practise exercises under the supervision of their tutor and are asked to complete homework prior to the next lesson. This homework, which is reviewed in class, should take 2-3 hours each week. Prior to the examination, an internally set mock exam will be held and students will be given feedback on their results and areas of focus for the final examination.

Following satisfactory completion of IAB Level 2 Certificate, students may apply to join the IAB Level 3 Diploma in Accounting and Advanced Book-Keeping. Alternatively students may choose to enrol on the IAB Level 2 Certificate in Computerised Payroll or, for those considering a career in business, the IAB Level 3 Diploma in Small Business Financial Management. Ultimately, students may progress to the IAB Level 3 Diploma in Book-Keeping and Advanced Accounting and the IAB Level 3 Diploma in Computerised Book-Keeping.