Practical Experience Requirements

Practical Experience Overview
You will be required to report on a minimum of 24 months of practical experience while you are in the CMA Strategic Leadership Program. The requirements include a minimum of six months experience at the managerial level with the balance at the operational level.

Full details on the CMA Strategic Leadership Program will be provided when you enroll in the program. Here is a brief overview of what you can expect:

• Direct supervision by another CMA is not required.
• You do not have to be working in a supervisory position to meet the managerial experience requirement.
• Managerial experience may exceed six months; however, the combination of operational and managerial experience must total a minimum of 24 months.
• 12 months of experience must be acquired during the CMA Strategic Leadership Program.
  

Entry Level
You are primarily a provider of information and are assigned routine tasks under direct supervision. Decisions are normally made within established guidelines. Results are reviewed in detail and technical guidance is available.

Mid Level
At this level, you must apply appropriate accounting and management methods and techniques to problem solving. You also present and interpret information for organization decision-makers and provide advice and recommendations to all levels of the organization. Complex or unusual decisions are usually referred to more senior authorities.

Advanced Level
You make responsible decisions on all matters, including the establishment of policies and the implementation of major programs, subject only to overall policy and financial controls. You are a contributor to the overall direction of the organization and the formulation of its long-range plans.

Practical Experience Requirements
You are required to achieve a minimum of 24 months of appropriate full time, or equivalent, progressive practical experience including:

• 12 months of experience at or above the mid level.
• 12 months of experience during the CMA Strategic Leadership Program

CMABC strongly recommends that you complete the CMA Strategic Leadership Program and practical experience requirement concurrently. The practical experience requirement will be evaluated upon entry; at the end of Year One and at the end of the completion of the educational component.

It is expected that you will be working in a mid-level position when applying for certification.

This is not an academic program of learning. It is a program designed to integrate workplace activity with new learning experiences. For this reason, you're expected to be employed while taking this program.

Whether in government, public practice or in a small or large organization, you bring true-life environments to the discussion and take back new ideas and viewpoints to your organization.

If you are a CMA candidate who is not employed in a related position, you will be given until December 31 of the first year to gain approved employment. If the employment requirement is not met, you may be required to withdraw from the program until the following year.

If the practical experience requirement is not met the following year, you may be required to withdraw from the program completely.

If you are a CMA candidate in Year Two, you are expected to be employed in a related field prior to beginning the program's second year. As with first year candidates, year two candidates who are unsuccessful in gaining approved employment are required to withdraw from the program until the following year.

If the practical experience requirement is not met the following year, you may be required to withdraw from the program.

Practical experience policies are subject to annual review. If you are currently enrolled and active in the CMA Strategic Leadership Program, you will receive special consideration as a result of any subsequent policy changes.

Does CMABC assist me with finding employment?
CMA Canada's comprehensive online career resource center allows you to view hundreds of job postings from all over Canada and in fact the world.

When you register your resume with www.cmabcjobs.com, you can choose to have the system notify you via email when a job matching your requirements is available.

Or you can simply search the job database for what you're looking for and choose to view all current listings. All you need to do to access jobs available all over the world is to visit www.cmabcjobs.com and log in.