Shape the future of the profession by mentoring future CPAs

As part of the new path leading to the CPA designation in Quebec, students must hold a recognized undergraduate degree, complete the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP), pass the Common Final Examination (CFE) and complete a period of practical experience of at least 24 months supervised by a mentor in an organization preapproved by the Order or an organization that offers candidates employment that can be authorized by the Order. However, in exceptional cases where a period of practical experience is authorized in an organization that has no CPA, candidates can be matched with an external mentor.

As a CPA, you can mentor one or more candidates and share your knowledge with the next generation.

Why become a mentor?

Here are some of the benefits of participating in the CPA mentorship program by investing less than 15 hours of your time per year:

• you will receive access to free online tools, resources and training activities developed exclusively for mentors which may qualify for continuing education credits;
• you will contribute to the success of tomorrow’s leaders by sharing your know-how and  “soft” skills;
• you will take part in a personally rewarding experience that will strengthen your decision-making and leadership skills.

What is a mentor’s role?

As a mentor, your role will consist of:

• coaching future CPAs during their period of practical experience;
• meeting with candidates at least twice a year to ensure the practical experience is proceeding smoothly;
• providing guidance to candidates on developing enabling competencies, i.e. the essential skills for ethical behaviour, decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and leadership;
• answering their questions and providing insight;
• signing off on practical experience reports required by the Order and attesting that you have met with the candidates and discussed the development of their competencies.

You are not required to supervise candidates daily or decide on the number of hours or the nature of the tasks they perform during their practical experience period. This is the responsibility of the candidate’s practical experience supervisor, who is not necessarily the CPA mentor.

How to become a mentor?

There are various ways to become a mentor:

• Become the mentor of candidates as part a period of practical experience under the approved path model within your organization.
• Accept a mentor request from a candidate.
• Volunteer to join the CPA mentoring pool (i.e. mentors who wish to coach candidates who are not necessarily part of their organization). The Order will contact you to confirm your interest in the event a candidate seeking a mentor matches your profile.

In all cases, you must register online and attend a short orientation webinar* in order to be matched with a candidate and access the free online tools and resources. 

Register now as a CPA mentor [+]

To learn more about the CPA mentorship program, visit CPA Canada’s website.

* Details on the orientation webinar will be communicated to mentors at a later date.