AAT Certificate in Accounting – Level 2
Course aims
This course offers the foundation knowledge needed to progress to employment for further study in accountancy and finance, alongside business and personal skills that are transferrable to any sector and additional business knowledge relevant to accountancy.
Course length
255 guided learning hours, 5 hour sessions per week
Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for those interested in developing transferrable business and personal skills alongside their core accountancy skills. It is also valuable for those entering the workplace for the first time or for those changing careers who would like additional support in upskilling to enter, or re-enter, a business environment.
Will I gain any qualifications?
Yes. You must successfully pass four mandatory unit assessment to achieve the AAT Certificate in Accounting – Level 2 qualification.
Do I need any prior knowledge, skills or qualifications?
Yes. Prior knowledge, skills or level 1 qualification in bookkeeping are required. A basic level of English is needed as this will help you to read and understand the materials provided.
Course content
The course outcomes are:
Introduction to bookkeeping
- understand how to set up bookkeeping systems
- process customer transactions
- process supplier transactions
- process receipts and payments
- process transactions into the ledger accounts
Principles for bookkeeping controls
- use control accounts
- reconcile a bank statement with the cashbook
- use the journal
- produce trial balances
Principles of costing
- understand the cost recording system
- use cost recording techniques
- provide information on actual and budgeted costs and income
- use tools and techniques to support cost calculations
The business environment
- understand the principles of contract law
- understand the external business environment
- understand key principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethics and sustainability
- understand the impact of setting up different types of business entity
- understand the finance function within an organisation
- produce work in appropriate formats and communicate effectively
- understand the importance of information to business operations
Support if you are registered unemployed, looking for a job or a better job – Route to Work
As part of your programme of learning, we will support you to develop the skills you need to get a job or a better job, such as CV writing, application forms, interviews and working in a team. Your teacher will discuss your individual learning and development needs to agree with you which of our Route to Work short courses will best suit your needs and enrol you on these modules.
What could this course lead to?
This course could lead to AAT Certificate in Bookkeeping - Level 3 or AAT Certificate in Accounting - Level 3.
How will I learn?
Learning for this course is ‘Blended’, using both online and onsite environments. Your teacher will explain this further. You will be shown how to access Birmingham Adult Education Services (BAES) Virtual Learning Environment (VLE - Moodle) which is a secure online tool which provides you with support for your studies.
You will be able to access resources like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Padlet, to engage in activities, study independently, and participate in group discussions with your teacher.
You will record your own progress and have your work checked regularly throughout the course.
What materials or equipment will I need to provide?
You will need to have access at home to:
- A laptop, computer which is connected to the internet
- Microsoft Office 365 (Excel) which we will provide for free when you enrol on one of our courses
- Notepad and pen – you will need to take notes during the online sessions and a folder to store hand-outs and completed exercises
- Sage, an online version of which can be purchased after the course has started
- Calculator
What we require of you as a learner?
- regular attendance and punctuality is essential for you to succeed
- work at home will need to be completed punctually and sent to your teacher for marking
- you will need to ensure that you allow sufficient time for self-study and complete any homework set
- you will be expected to complete all assessments and complete the full course
- register with AAT
Useful website(s)
For more information about Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT): https://www.aat.org.uk/
