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Certificate in Governance Practice
Certificate in Governance and Risk Management
Certificate in Governance for Not-for-Profits
Click here to order your free copy of our catalogue of services.
General overview
CSA’s Certificates are widely respected vocational qualifications that offer flexibility in meeting individual learning needs. They provide a means of extending your knowledge and skills in governance, risk and compliance to maximise your career opportunities and work effectiveness.
Typically, students are highly motivated people who are either embarking on a career in governance or already well established in their roles or planned career path. They are looking to improve their performance in their jobs, to enhance their future career options or to consolidate themselves in their current roles.
The courses provide invaluable knowledge and skills, along with an industry qualification, for anyone in a role providing support to a governance professional responsible for the accountability mechanisms of an organisation. This can be in a public (listed or unlisted) or proprietary company, or a not-for-profit, government or other organisation. In addition, it provides a CSA-accredited qualification for directors, officers and other senior managers who require a broad understanding of the scope of their governance responsibilities and the skills required to discharge them.
Features
- Successful completion of six CSA training programs qualifies a participant for a CSA-accredited Certificate
- Suitable for a wide range of people working in the governance area
- Open entry with no prior qualification required
- Valuable knowledge and skills, along with an industry qualification, for anyone in a role providing support to a governance professional responsible for the accountability mechanisms of an organisation
- A CSA-accredited qualification for officers, directors and other senior managers who require a broad understanding of the scope of their governance responsibilities and the skills required to discharge them
- Substantial flexibility in the choice of training programs to complete the Certificates
- Two study modes available, face-to-face or online. You can mix and match your modes of study to suit your situation
- Robust, practical and continuously updated learning materials
- The ease and convenience of multiple-choice online assessment with no written exams.
Please click here to enrol in a CSA Certificate.
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Benefits of study
Completing one of CSA’s Certificate courses will provide you with:
- the gateway to Certificated membership
- practical knowledge and skills across a wide range of governance topics that you can readily apply in your workplace
- a strong platform to either consolidate your present position or to launch a new career in governance
- an explicit demonstration to your employer and to others of your commitment to developing your knowledge and skills in governance
- the ability to make a substantial and valued contribution as a member of the governance team within your organisation
- an insight into the importance of implementing good governance practices across the whole organisaton and the importance of your personal contribution to this objective
- the opportunity to network with presenters and other governance professionals and senior mangers when students attend face-to-face tutorial programs.
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Learning flexibility
The Certificate courses have been designed to provide substantial flexibility in the choice of training programs.
Certificate in Governance Practice — From the programs on offer you are required to complete one compulsory program with complete freedom of choice to select five other programs. This means you are free to choose the training programs most relevant to your learning needs based on your individual workplace role. This gives you the advantage of using the Certificate course to fill in any gaps in your knowledge and skills.
Certificate in Governance and Risk Management — This certificate is more focused on Risk Management so is more prescriptive. There are five compulsory programs with your choice for the remaining program.
Certificate in Governance for Not-for-Profits
For further details please contact us on 1800 251 849 or by email. This Certificate is specifically tailored for the not-for-profit sector and comprises of six programs. There are four compulsory programs and two elective programs. You may select your two elective programs from our complete suite of training programs. CSA strongly recommends the Not-For-Profit Regulatory Compliance program as one of the two electives for this Certificate.
Training programs can be taken either by attending face-to-face tutorials or by studying online with the benefit of online access to recorded presentations.
If you would like to talk to someone about the CSA Certificates, please contact your local state office or call 1800 251 849 (toll-free) or (02) 9223 5744.
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Training program fees
The program fee for each of the half-day programs (3.5 hours) is:
Members $350 per program
Subscribers $425 per program
Non-members $495 per program
There is one full-day program (7 hours) which is Practical-On-The-Job Skills for Company Secretaries. This program counts as two units towards a CSA Certificate. The fee for this program is:
Members $700 per program
Subscribers $840 per program
Non-members $990 per program
Certificate fees
There is no fee to enrol in a CSA Certificate. The cost of a Certificate is the combined cost of six training programs. For Certificate criteria and selection information please go to the Course structure page.
To enrol in training program or a Certificate course please go to the Enrolment page.
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Learning with the experts
All certificate training programs are written and reviewed regularly by a wide range of practicing governance professionals with expertise in specific disciplines to ensure currency and accuracy of content. CSA also constantly evaluates and improves the programs in response to the feedback received from customers and clients.
CSA is fortunate to have senior practitioners and other governance experts as the presenters of our certificate training programs in all venues where training programs are offered. Presenters are carefully selected to ensure that students receive maximum exposure to practical hands-on knowledge that can be readily applied in their roles.
Some of our presenters and writers include:
Michael Adams FCIS, School of the School of Law, University of Western Sydney
David Berechree, Director, KPMG
Pauline Carr FCIS, Director, Exact Consulting
Lorne Cummings, Associate Professor and Director, Macquarie University
Paul Muir, Executive Manager Risk and Compliance, Suncorp Ltd
Chris O’Meara FCIS, Barrister at Law, Bennett Chambers
Robert Posener, Managing Director, PMComplete Pty Ltd
Chris Wells FCIS, (former CSA National President), CSA Tasmanian Council Member and Member of the CSA National Board
Costa Zakis, Deputy Practice Leader Business Risk Consulting, Marsh Ltd
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Exclusive Graduate Diploma subject enrolment fee discount for CSA Certificate graduates
The special ONE subject enrolment fee of $300 applies to all Certificate course graduates with no time limit on when you completed your Certificate.
The Certificate graduate fee of only $300 may be applied to any one subject of the Graduate Diploma (subject to normal Graduate Diploma entry requirements), and entitles students to full distance support (including online materials) and a seat at the examination at the end of the semester.
The completion criteria under this arrangement are the same as for all Graduate Diploma subjects: an assignment and an exam must be completed.
If students wish attend tutorials or require a hard copy of the materials, then the normal 2012 subject fee (that is, $1,900 for non-members, $1,850 for Subscribers or $1,650 for Members) applies.
To enrol in the Graduate Diploma, you will still be required to meet the entry requirements. Click here to email us or call 1800 251 849.
Frequently asked questions
Q. When can I register for a training program?
A. You can register for a training program via the online mode at any time of the year. To check the program timetable for a face-to-face tutorial, click here for the Courses & Events page to view the timetable for your state.
Q. Where are the face-to-face tutorials held?
A. The venues for the training programs are the CSA offices in the capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and at other convenient CBD locations in Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra.
Q. Do I need to be employed while studying the Certificate course?
A. There is no need for you to be in employment while you are studying in the either of the certificate courses.
Q. Do I need any qualifications or experience to enrol in the Certificate courses?
A. Since both are open-entry courses, there are no educational or experience prerequisites for enrolment.
Q. Can I choose an individual training program but not enrol in the Certificate courses?
A. Yes. However, if you later decide to enrol in either of the Certificate courses you are required to pass the online exam for Certificate graduation.
Q. Can I transfer from one Certificate to another Certificate?
A. Yes. You may transfer your completed eligible programs to the new Certificate. To transfer into the new Certificate please enrol online and then contact the Training Coordinator on 1800 251 849 or send an email.
Q. What will I gain by completing the Certificate courses?
A. The courses earn their reputation from being the only vocational courses in governance offered by the premier governance training provider, CSA. You will also find that many employers regard it as a highly valued foundation for a career in governance administration.
Click here for more information on Certificated Membership.
Q. How do I sit the examinations?
A. All examinations, which consist of multiple-choice questions, are completed online without the need for you to attend an exam venue and sit a written paper.
Q. Is my Certificate qualification recognised when I enrol in a second Certificate?
A. Yes. You have a maximum of two exempt programs which are credited to the second Certificate. Please note the exempt programs must have been completed within the last 12 months.
Q. How long do I have to complete a Certificate course?
A. To graduate from a CSA Certificate and maximise your six programs, you are required to complete and pass the online multiple choice exam for each of the six programs, within the same 12-month period. This 12-month period commences when you pass your first program exam. After you have passed the exams for each of the five additional programs within this time frame, you will automatically graduate from a CSA Certificate.
Q. How long do I have to complete an individual training program?
A. The time limit to complete an individual training program is 21 days. This starts the day of your face-to-face tutorial or with online study you can select your start date.
Q. Will I be eligible for membership of CSA?
A. Completion of the Certificate course entitles you to apply for Certificated membership
Please note: Certificated Members are entitled to use the nationally recognised postnominals of CSA(Cert). They are not Members of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), may not use its logo or postnominals and are not entitled to call themselves a Chartered Secretary. Associate or Fellow Members of CSA have completed a course of study, in most cases, the Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance, and have met all the qualifying criteria to join. They are then permitted to use the associated postnominals and the professional designation of Chartered Secretary.
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Kirrin Ryan
School manager hones governance skills as government ramps up stimulus spend
The federal government’s multi-billion dollar school building program has raised the level of accountability for many school executives. But for some executives, corporate governance was already uppermost in their career planning even before the government committed more than $15 billion to their sector.
After being promoted to business manager at Sutherland Shire Christian School from her previous position as accountant, Kerrin Ryan quickly became aware that she needed assistance to gain a better understanding of her corporate governance responsibilities.
Through her professional body, the Association of School Business Administrators (ASBA), she learnt of the Certificate in Governance Practice and Administration offered by Chartered Secretaries Australia (CSA).
'I’m new to the role of being a business manager so I thought it would give me exposure to the areas I needed to be aware of,' said Ms Ryan, who undertook the Certificate in July 2009.
The federal government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) program has figured in Ms Ryan’s tasks this year, and was one of many reasons for undertaking CSA’s course.
Currently Sutherland Shire Christian School is about to commence construction of two new buildings. 'There are governance issues the whole way through from having to observe proper tendering procedures, to meeting tight project timeframes,' Ms Ryan said.
'While CSA’s course will certainly help me manage the challenges of the BER program, I was just as interested in the benefits I’ll achieve from having a better understanding of governance issues overall,' said Ms Ryan, who is secretary of the school board.
The courses she found especially useful for her job dealt with practical skills for company secretaries, the legal framework of governance, and risk assessment for officers and directors.
'We are a company as well as being a school. Our governance issues focus around risk management and ensuring the school has the proper policies and processes in place to run effectively and to meet its responsibilities to students, parents and teachers. We also have to juggle our responsibilities to government because it funds us to a large extent.'
Ms Ryan, who chose to complete the Certificate in a three-day intensive format, found that one of the benefits of the course was that it brought together business managers from various schools. In partnership with CSA, ASBA had offered the course to its members at a subsidised rate on successful completion.
'While the course was not delivered specifically for schools, it was beneficial to have others from my sector attending as well. It was encouraging to learn that, regardless of school size, all school administrators are facing similar governance issues,' she said.
Ms Ryan is now thinking of joining CSA under its new Certificated membership program that launched in October 2009 and is open to students who have completed CSA’s Certificate course.
Successful completion of the Certificate course now paves the way to a deeper ongoing relationship with CSA via a membership program which provides ongoing benefits. These include greater professional development opportunities and access to up-to-date governance knowledge, guidance and practical tools to help manage the continual challenges of a governance or management role.
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Jeni McDonough CSA(Cert)
Governance professional climbs up the ranks
You can almost hear the hustle and bustle of Jeni McDonough's changing job responsibilities, as the newly appointed company secretary for the Red Cross gets the documentation ready for an upcoming board meeting.
Ms McDonough, who completed Chartered Secretaries Australia's (CSA) Certificate in Governance Practice and Administration last year, had previously worked extensively in either acting or assistant positions for the well-known charity.
But that deputy role changed following a decision this October to merge her existing position into the company secretary role that she has assumed.
'I have taken over the secretary role which includes preparing all the papers, taking the minutes, making sure the work of the board is spelt out and people are doing what they have been asked to do,' she said.
While Ms McDonough is familiar with some of these duties, as she was often called upon to deputise for the former board secretary when he was on leave, she acknowledged that learning on the job can only take a governance professional so far.
'There were always additional corporate governance matters that I needed clarification on. I also wanted material I could refer to and more knowledge about what the role as a whole involved,' she said.
The former board secretary recommended that Jeni undertake CSA's Certificate course, advice she is glad she followed, especially now that it paves the way for her to become a CSA Member.
Ms McDonough gives the thumbs up to CSA's decision to open membership to students who have completed the Certificate, rather than confining it to those who have finished the more demanding Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.
As a CSA Member she receives CSA publications directly and has access to best practice governance guides and other useful practitioner tools.
Membership also gives her access to CSA's seminars, often at a discount. 'It's good to keep in touch with what's changing in governance,' she said.
One of the features that she appreciated about the Certificate course was its flexibility of study and that it did not detract too much from her personal time. Usually she spent half a day on each module at CSA's offices, although she completed the final module online.
'I liked the chance to gain more knowledge without have to spend hours on it and also seeing how people in other industries dealt with corporate governance matters,' she said, adding that the modules on minute taking and confidentiality issues were of significant value to her work.
'Another benefit of the new Certificated membership is that I'm able to keep in contact with other professionals that I met while doing the Certificate in Governance Practice and Administration,' she said. 'That's invaluable, because I can chat with them about how they are handling a particular problem or issue.'
Ms McDonough recommends the Certificate for anyone starting out as a governance professional. And she goes even further, recommending that even managers for whom corporate governance is not a direct part of their job should also complete the course.
'A lot of people don't understand governance or its importance. But those who do know that it's critical for any well-run organisation, particularly one like mine, which depends so much on a good reputation and having the public's confidence.'
As for further study, she has not dismissed the idea, but at the moment is focused on the challenges of her new role. 'I will probably do more in the future but for the moment my priority is to master my new job.'
All Certificate training programs are written and presented by a wide range of professionals, including expert practitioners in governance and company secretarial practice, and leading law and business academics.
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