成人VR视频

In mid-2023, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Council passed a resolution calling for a National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG) to identify the core dynamics that are fueling the accounting profession鈥檚 talent shortage and recommend constructive solutions. And after a year of intensive meetings and research, the NPAG issued its final report,听, at the end of July 2024.

Jennifer Wilson 鈥� co-founder and partner of听 and the NPAG鈥檚 independent facilitator 鈥� discussed with us why the accounting profession needs to 鈥渢ell a more compelling story鈥� in order to address its chronic talent shortage.

成人VR视频 Institute: In our earlier discussion, you went over the key themes that the NPAG outlined in its research, and one of them 鈥� 鈥淢ake the academic experience more engaging鈥� 鈥� seems like it would fit into another 鈥� 鈥淭ell a more compelling story鈥� 鈥� in order to get more students interested in the options that a career in accounting offers.

Jennifer Wilson: Exactly. We need to really look hard at getting into middle schools and high schools, and to evangelize at the university level as well. Right now, accounting classes are disappearing from high schools and being replaced by finance classes, which are mandated by many states. So, one solution could be to get more accounting education into finance classes at the high-school level.

Those of us who are in the profession should also seek opportunities to share our story with high school and even middle school students. It doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e a CPA, you say: 鈥淚鈥檓 in the accounting profession, and here鈥檚 what I do inside it.鈥� It鈥檚 actually better if we鈥檙e not all auditors and tax people going into schools, because students 鈥� especially college students 鈥� need to know that they are not on a one-way track to public accounting, or on a two-way track to either tax or audit. There are so many career pathways available inside our profession and so many roles and different ways of participating, but we need to tell that story better.

成人VR视频 Institute: Not to nurse a stereotype, but many accountants may not be comfortable talking to a group of students about their work. What do you say to those folks?

Jennifer Wilson: I tell people that the first place I want everybody to look is at your kitchen table. What kind of story are you telling there? Because your kids are listening, and they are telling their friends. I don鈥檛 care who it is or where, we need to start looking at the youth in our midst and saying: 鈥淗ey man, this is a cool profession, it has unlimited opportunity, and you really should consider it.鈥�

This is something all of us can start doing today, by the way. For example, there鈥檚 a woman named who is a tenured professor and CPA at a community college in Michigan. Her daughter just became a newly minted CPA, by the way. Michelle goes all over the place, individually promoting the holy heck out of the profession in high schools and community colleges. She uses an online platform called that teaches students basic principles of accounting by running a simulated lemonade stand. Part of her passion is to tell a better story and get people hooked on how cool accounting is, how entrepreneurial it can be, and how interesting it is. She鈥檚 not waiting for a large organization or university to organize action 鈥� she鈥檚 in action herself, evangelizing accounting, and doing her Lemonade Stand work. And she has been at it for quite some time.

成人VR视频 Institute: Did your research uncover any other people or projects that might serve as an inspiration to accounting professionals?

Jennifer Wilson: There鈥檚 an organization called the (CAQ), which is focused on audit quality 鈥� but in order to ensure audit quality, we have to have talent who want to become auditors. So, part of the CAQ鈥檚 organization is Accounting+, which studies the talent pipeline and is engaged in telling a better story about accounting. They reached 110,000 high-school students last year through their Q-Plus program in conjunction with , which is an online platform that exposes high-school kids to different careers. The CAQ also is focused on reaching out to underrepresented minorities, which is another one of our themes.

Likewise, has their boot camps and summer exposure programs that are reaching thousands of students and could reach more with additional amplification, support, and funding. So, there is a lot of cool stuff in the 鈥渢ell a better story鈥� chapter that people are already doing 鈥� but we need to do more of that and support it better.

成人VR视频 Institute: There is something in the report called 鈥淭he Pipeline Pledge.鈥� What is that?

Jennifer Wilson: The Pipeline Pledge is a personal pledge that we鈥檙e asking individuals to take, committing them to participate in activities that can influence and grow the talent pool. It鈥檚 a personal pledge, but you can take it as an individual contributor, as a firm leader, or as an academic 鈥� but it鈥檚 a pledge we want everyone to take.

If you take the pledge, you鈥檙e committing to doing two things in the next 12 months to help shift the profession鈥檚 image. The report includes a list of solutions that can serve as suggested activities to get out there and really impact the pipeline individually. One of the easiest activities includes promoting the profession and telling a better story.

成人VR视频 Institute: You鈥檝e pointed to a lot of things that people are already doing to help solve the talent crisis, but it always seems as if the accounting profession鈥檚 talent problem is an uphill battle 鈥� as if no matter what is done, nothing seems to change. After working on this report, are you optimistic that progress in this area can actually happen? Or is it all still a pipe dream, pardon the pun?

Jennifer Wilson: In the report, we emphasize that in order to create real change, we need a more unified effort across the profession鈥檚 associations, organizations, academia, and employers, as well as a recognition that the root causes of the talent shortage can鈥檛 be addressed in isolation, because they all affect different parts of the pipeline.

In fact, one of the things we also wanted to stress is how critical it is that each of us in the profession 鈥� regardless of our role and whether we鈥檙e a CPA or not 鈥� recognize that we鈥檙e all fed by the accounting profession. We love it and care about it, and we can all make a difference immediately 鈥� we just need to get to work.

I think I can speak for all 22 of the NPAG members working on the report, sharing that we left feeling encouraged that there is hope, and if we take personal responsibility to drive change, that we can genuinely move the needle on this.

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This is the second in a series of three blog posts about听the National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG)听and how to address the talent shortage in the tax & accounting industry.