A New Frontier: Sustainability and ESG for CPAs and business professionals

Contribute to the future of the profession with the Sustainability/ESG certificate, a professional upskilling product that promotes and supports the wellbeing of stakeholders throughout an organization and society at large.

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Event Details

Location and date:
Online (English) On-Demand Event

The Sustainability/ESG certificate is a professional upskilling product that promotes and supports the current and future wellbeing of stakeholders throughout an organization and society at large. Beyond the three pillars: environmental, social and governance (ESG), the certificate also explores strategic risks and opportunities within sustainability from a financial, investment and economic mindset. This also includes new accounting (reporting/disclosure) and assurance considerations.

The competency of Sustainability is one of the largest disruptions in the profession in over 100 years and this certificate will position you to add value to your organization’s future. More information on purchasing the certificate in Spring 2023.

Certificate Learning Objectives

  • Identify, describe, and explain ESG concepts and issues such as biodiversity, climate change, diversity/equity, and inclusion (DEI) and wellness, and corporate governance issues (e.g., different governance models with global perspective, green and other washings, executive compensation etc.)
  • Explain and analyze the relevance of ESG in making financial, strategic and operational decisions
  • Determine the influence or pressure of stakeholders and how they affect corporate ESG strategy, performance, reporting and disclosure
  • Assess and create/interpret ESG risks and opportunities for organizations in various sectors
  • Identify and explain company performance from an internal perspective and external assurance and reporting perspective
  • Assess and interpret the various ESG reporting standards, guidelines, frameworks (IFRS (IIRC, SASB, CDSB), TCFD, GRI, etc.) and the future of ESG reporting

The certificate learning objectives were designed using the new Competency Map 2.0 and its proficiency levels.

The certificate is comprised of four courses:

  1. Introduction to Sustainability – A Multi-Year Retrospective (available for sale)
  2. Deep Dive into Sustainability – Understanding E, S, and G (available for sale)
  3. Sustainability Reporting and Disclosure (available for sale – spring/summer 2023)
  4. Capstone (available for sale – spring/summer 2023)

Courses will be a mix of asynchronous (on-demand) learning and synchronous (virtual classroom) learning, with a mix of eLearning slides, video, audio and knowledge checks. Courses 1 and 2 each have a multiple-choice quiz (needing 80% or higher with three attempts). Courses 3 and 4 each have a case.

Special offers/promotions

From March 29, 2023 to June 30, 2023, you can avail 15% off the certificate.

Additional options and pricing may be available. See pricing and registration for more details.



$2700

60 CPD hour(s)
Pricing & registration

You will learn about:

  • Sustainability over the years
  • Sustainability frameworks and standards
  • Organizational Impacts
  • Regulatory, legal, and reputational impacts
  • ESG Investing and stakeholder stewardship and engagement
  • Environmental, social and governance technical
  • Sustainability for Materiality and Assurance
  • Sustainable procurement
  • Economic, financial, and data considerations
  • Strategic considerations

Who should attend?

The certificate and its courses are intended toward upskilling two distinct groups of professionals – CPAs that have at least two to 10+ years of designated experience and MBA / business professionals that work in:

  • the private sector (e.g., publicly listed companies, private companies)
  • public accounting firms
  • management / consulting firms

Within those groups, we expect the following roles to align with this course and its objectives:

  • New CPA and business roles in sustainability and climate change
  • Reporting Lead / Manager roles in public reporting (e.g., MD&A, AIF (annual information form), analyst reports / presentations, etc.)
  • Financial Statement preparers
  • Senior / Executive leaderships roles

Sustainability and ESG considerations are fundamentally changing how organizations plan and execute their strategy and operate and in doing so, are impacting the entire career spectrum. This product is designed with inclusion in mind; there is something for everyone.

More Details:

Frequently asked questions:

Prerequisites and requirements

There are no requirements currently as this is our first ESG introductory eLearning product. It is highly recommended to complete all courses within the certificate as most members are new to these competency and topic areas within ESG/Sustainability. Also, the courses are intended to provide educational support for both CPA members and non-members.

You may also be interested in:

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ESG Symposium 2023

May 30, 2023

A new frontier for environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is upon us. Learn how to navigate environmental and social risks and opportunities at this event for CPAs, leaders and other professionals from every industry.

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State of Play: Social disclosure study

CPA Canada initiated a review of social disclosures by 25 Canadian publicly listed issuers across a range of sectors to better understand the nature and extent of social factors being disclosed and opportunities for improvements.

Contacts

Please contact:

Member Development and Support
Tel: 1-800-268-3793
Email: [email protected]