How much does it cost to be a Partner in Employment?

There are no fees paid to be a Partner in Employment. CGA-BC selects organizations based on their standing in the business community and their reputation for hiring, retaining, and supporting CGAs and CGA students. See Who Can Qualify.

There are costs associated with meeting the requirements of the program, such as providing financial support to assist CGA student employees with their CGA program fees or CGAs with their membership dues, and professional development. But in many cases, these are costs of doing business that PEP Employers are already paying. There is also a small cost to post career opportunities to the CGAjobs.org site.

Other costs depend entirely on how involved you choose to become with CGA-BC events, promotions and advertising opportunities. As PEP Employers you receive all of these services at a considerable discount.

What kind of commitment in time and resources will this require?

This too is up to your management and HR teams and depends largely on the number of CGAs and CGA students you need to hire. The time required of an employee to act as CGA contact would be negligible. The resources needed to host a meeting on your premises would include e-mailing people and reserving a meeting room.

Imagine the cost of finding and inviting potential recruits, and arranging a site to host a recruiting event. Through PEP, employers enjoy all the cost and time savings of having CGA-BC organize the event. With the Association on hand, you can concentrate purely on making the best presentation of your organization and deciding which candidates could make the best fit with your team. And PEP Employers do find the people they're looking for. With our Speed Interview Nights attracting as many as 150 CGAs and CGA students to a single event, it's no surprise.

Why become a Partner in Employment if we can advertise positions through CGA without joining the program?

First of all, PEP offers Partners in Employment much more than the ability to post jobs online. PEP is a series of opportunities to reach CGAs and students on their way to the designation through the association that trains, designates and provides lifelong learning to them. The vast majority of benefits come to you through your association with CGA-BC off-line: opportunities to attend or host events on campus and at trade fairs, as well as opportunities to promote your organization through CGA-BC periodicals, conference sponsorships, our tradeshow, and other media-all at significant discounts.

Through PEP, your organization is able to raise its corporate profile in the CGA community, take part in CGA-BC events, and meet and hire the future finance and accounting leaders needs today.

Second, as a Partner in Employment, you are able to post your openings at PEP rates. The more positions you need filled, the more your company saves.

Third, when CGAs and CGA students see that a job is posted with a PEP Employer, they understand that the opportunity is with an organization that highly values their training. They see that their Association has approved of the employer as a place that will help them succeed in the CGA program. They see the possibilities of not just a job, but of a career with a future.

How will CGAs and CGA students know that our company is a Partner in Employment?

The CGA PEP Employer icon will appear beside each of your positions on the CGAjobs.org site. Your company logo will also appear on a page devoted to explaining the program to CGAs and CGA students. We will use your logo to link visitors to your company Website.

We will also supply you with a framed CGA Partner in Employment certificate that you may display in your reception area or HR waiting room.

We're interested in PEP, but we can't guarantee scheduled promotions and opportunities to any of our staff. Nor can we be seen to be giving special treatment to one professional designation. Can we still take part?

The short answer is yes.

We understand there are no guarantees in professional life. We have selected your organization as a potential Partner in Employment based on your track record of hiring and promoting CGAs in the past, the likelihood of growth in your accounting and finance teams, opportunities to be promoted to management, and your reputation for a positive work environment.

We aren't looking for special treatment for CGAs, we are looking for employers that offer all staff support to improve themselves through professional development, and opportunities for greater responsibility and promotion. We view you as a progressive employer. If any of the factors mentioned above were to change, we would discuss our concerns with you.

We plan on hosting a recruiting open house for our finance and accounting department and we want to reach as many CGAs and CGA students as possible. Who should we contact at CGA-BC to get the ball rolling?

To plan a PEP recruiting event, contact Dan Relihan, CGA, Manager of Recruitment and Employment Initiatives at (604) 730-6202

What will you tell us about candidates who have applied through CGAjobs.org?

CGA-BC often receives calls from employers asking for information about students and members who have applied to their job posting. Currently, CGA-BC will only divulge the applicant's status (active or inactive) in the Association. CGAjobs.org has been updated to include a searchable database of applicants' resumés.

How busy is CGAjobs.org?

CGAjobs.org is busy indeed. Many students rely on it as their sole online job search tool. CGAjobs.org allows employers to track how frequently postings are viewed, how many times their company profile is viewed, the number of resumés in the database, and other online measurements.

Visit the CGAjobs.org homepage to see how many CGA members and students are registered, and how many employers are posting jobs. There's a very good chance that your competitors are already taking advantage of CGAjobs.org.

As a PEP member, our company wants to advertise to CGAs and CGA students. What's the best way to reach both groups?

By advertising in Outlook magazine, your company will reach every CGA and CGA student in B.C. For information about advertising in Outlook, contact CGA-BC Director of Communications Edward Downing at (604) 730-6208.

Who is in charge of the Partners in Employment Program?

Dan Relihan, CGA, Manager of Recruitment and Employment Initiatives, is leading the Partners in Employment Program. You can reach him at (604) 730-6202.