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The Citadel offers bookkeeping certification
By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer
Bookkeepers are in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s 2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the demand for bookkeepers is expected to increase, and those with bookkeeping certification have the best shot at getting a job.
That is where The Citadel Executive Institute comes in.
The institute is offering a convenient way for bookkeepers to become certified, and it is just one of the ways the institute is reaching out to the community while raising its profile.
Enrollment has been extended to
Oct. 17 for a course that promises to have bookkeepers certified in as little as
19 weeks or five weekends.
The institute’s course was created by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers and requires students to pass three exams, have 3,000 hours of on-the-job experience and sign a code of ethics.
It will be conducted at The Citadel campus and taught by professor Sheila Foster, who said the course is a great way to learn more than bookkeeping basics.
“More and more, the person who does the company’s books is part of the management team and making decisions,” Foster said. “Companies have to operate much more quickly because there is always another entrepreneur willing to jump in. A bookkeeper who has the ability to be part of the management team contributes to the competitive edge of the company.”
In addition to the bookkeeping course, the institute’s director said there are a number of opportunities available for area businesses.
“We started out to build our visibility and offer open-enrollment courses,” said director Helen Harloe.
“What has come about is that people have said, ‘come out and customize your services.’ We have the expertise of our faculty and the mentors group, who are retired executives. We have all these assets.”
To put those assets to work, the institute is offering on-site courses, often conducted during the lunch hour, to address a particular company’s needs or concerns.
Harloe cited the case of a local construction company. The company came to the institute looking for help with communications problems.
“We figured out that it wasn’t necessarily communications but a follow-through type of problem,” Harloe said. Sometimes, for instance, a project manager assigned a job to a subcontractor, but communication ended there, with no follow-up between the two parties.
To address the problem, Harloe conducted a competency assessment, gave training in business writing and communication, and gave lunchtime sessions to discuss progress.
In between sessions, employees were given assignments to help them remember and develop skills.
“This is really the wave of the future in professional development education,” Harloe said of customized courses that address real-life problems.
A bonus for companies that choose The Citadel’s institute for such assistance: They are going to save money.
Harloe wouldn’t give specific figures but said “we’re a lot more affordable” than private consultants.
The Citadel Executive Institute was founded about a year ago with funding provided from a major corporation, which Harloe declined to identify.
The institute, though still a fledgling operation, has big goals in mind.
“The mission is to provide professional and business development services to companies and individuals in the community,” Harloe said. “People are always looking for ways to learn and looking for access to business advice. That’s why we’re here.”
Harloe said the institute hopes to offer conferences in the future. Ideas that are being kicked around include a conference on captive insurance and how small businesses can win government contracts.
Individuals interested in the institute’s courses should call 953-6954 or visit the institute’s Web site at www.cei.citadel.edu.
Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.
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