January 10, 2010 | Alberta

With businesses facing tax time and year end reviews and inventory counts, CDI College graduates are available to assist employers and provide innovate solutions with diligence and attention to detail.

This is definitely the case with the Accounting and Payroll Administrator Diploma Program. This strong program allows our graduates to develop two sets of occupational skills in one Diploma: both accounting/bookkeeping and payroll administration.

Along with being educated in traditional double entry bookkeeping accounting according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), they are also trained in today's accounting software packages including Excel, Simply Accounting and ACCPAC.

"Our students are superbly trained, not only in their accounting and payroll," said Tahl East, CDI College Winnipeg Campus Director, who explained that they are trained in their academic and vocational skills. "They are also trained to learn how to learn. If an employer needs them to pick up a different accounting software package like Quickbooks or Great Plains, it will be very easy for them to adapt to that parallel application."

Accounting and Payroll Administrator Program Instructor, Glenn Ankrom, is proud of where many of his students have been progressing. With his results oriented teaching style which emphasizes the key skills and also the skills employers need, it is no wonder that CDI Accounting/Payroll graduates can end up in government departments and corporate offices.

Many Accounting and Payroll Administrator graduates from CDI end up in companies ranging from Payworks, Loblaws, Winnipeg Winter Club, City of Winnipeg, Boyd Autobody among many. "One of our graduates is employed for the engineering company doing the payroll at the new Dam up in Wuskwatim." East reported.

It is one thing to say you have a great program. It is another to see them hired by great employers across Winnipeg and Manitoba. However, it is especially rewarding when a program can get solid results from an outside accrediting body.

This is the case for CDI College where Accounting and Payroll Administrator students are required to complete compulsory courses with the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) in order to obtain their Diploma. As well, there is a final exam that the CPA mandates in order to receive the Payroll Compliance Practitioner Certificate (CPC) that accompanies all CDI Accounting and Payroll Administrator Graduates.

In 2008, Nathan Harry, a graduate of CDI College in Winnipeg, received the Silver Award from the Canadian Payroll Association for the Prairie Region (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), While other graduates placed provincially, "This was a high honour for our campus," East said, "We were so proud of Nathan and his instructor team led by Glenn (Ankrom) ." Nathan and the graduates who received Provincial Awards were honoured at the CPA Manitoba Conference at the Fort Garry Hotel.

"Yet, it keeps getting better and better," East enthusiastically stated, "We really cleaned up this year in 2009!"

At the 2009 Awards, not only did CDI College graduates place first in Manitoba but first in the Prairie Region! Ashley Williams won the Gold Award and Robyn Griffin won the Bronze Award for the Prairies.

East was delighted with the results,"Now the secret is out about our Accounting and Payroll Administrator Program. We knew it was a terrific program. The Employers knew it was a terrific program. The Graduates knew it was a terrific program. Now people across the prairies know that CDI College in Winnipeg produces incredible graduates."