Ruth Elias, is course lecturer and  has been teaching the AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting introductory course for 12 years at Coleg Ceredigion’s Aberystwyth campus. She was originally a student on the course herself, having moved from London to Aberystwyth and deciding to make use of the college around the corner. 

Ruth said:“I was attracted to the accounting course as I am the Company Secretary for a small Limited Company and found that I needed help interpreting our accounts, so it seemed the perfect fit.” 

Ruth’s tutors suggested she might consider teaching the course once she’d completed all three AAT levels and gained her full AAT qualification.  Ruth had never thought of a teaching career before but immediately took to the idea and completed her teacher training at Coleg Ceredigion a couple of years later. Her accounting knowledge has been hugely useful – she now not just understands her company accounts, but drafts them. 

She continues: “We were taught core accounting skills including bookkeeping, and it’s so handy knowing what should go where and why. You don’t get the ‘why’ from accounting software – so you often don’t know if or where you’ve gone wrong. I enjoy being able to analyse and explain what is going on to others as well as use my knowledge and skills myself.“ 

Ruth moved back to London a couple of years ago but in an innovative move by Coleg Ceredigion, has been allowed to continue to deliver the course online. She adds: “The course was originally classroom based – taking place one day a week at Aberystwyth campus. It went online during Covid and worked so well, it has stayed there ever since. It is now a blend of online learning and on-site exams.” 

Students come into campus to enrol and meet Ruth for a course induction session, they then access the excellent online lesson resources from course partners, Mindful Education for their weekly studies. They will also have a one-to-one or small group meeting with Ruth each week to discuss their coursework. 

She adds: “The benefits of this blended-learning approach are that students do not need to spend a whole day in college anymore. They work through the coursework in their own time and at their own pace, with my support throughout.They are able to build on their new skills by continuing on to the next two AAT course levels and achieve their full AAT Diploma in Professional Accounting qualification.” 

Results have been consistently good, with students achieving merits and distinctions each year. Ruth says that it is gratifying to see learners who have never studied accounting before walk away with their AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting, a qualification which is much valued by employers nationwide.