The development of trainee auditors' skills in tertiary education

This research examines the skills that practitioners, academics and students think are important for trainee auditors to possess for a successful auditing career. The research is based on the educational theories of experiential learning and information-processing. These theories suggest that graduates expecting to go into the auditing profession should have: (i) some concrete experience upon which to base an understanding of the techniques that they will be expected to learn once they begin audit work; and (ii) an understanding of basic constructs upon which new learning can be applied and built to then be able to critically examine and question the evidence that is presented to them on an audit. This study investigates the teaching methods that are used at UK universities on accounting degree programmes and assesses whether these two objectives are being met.