The Student Leadership Summit – A SAICA Initiative
What is the Student Leadership Summit?
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) hosts an annual Student Leadership Summit (SLS). The SLS initiative aims at identifying talented youngsters who are pursuing a career as a chartered accountant [CA(SA)]. These young minds participate in an essay competition and this is followed by a weekend of activities and networking.
CA stream students at SAICA-accredited universities are invited to participate in an essay competition annually. The Top 30 thought leadership essays are selected through a thorough assessment process and these students are invited to attend the SLS. A networking event is held on the first day of the summit, whereby the students have the opportunity to interact with business leaders from a variety of fields who hold a CA (SA) designation, reiterating the flexibility and opportunities offered by the designation. This is also where the competition winners are announced and this culminates in the winning essay being read by the winning student. On the second day, the students are put through an intensive soft skills and leadership workshop where they are also given various challenges in an effort to get them thinking more about being a leader and how they make an impact to the world around them.Guest speakers are also invited to speak to the students during this day providing a smaller group to interact with and also allowing the students to ask questions and engage with the speaker. In particular, at the 2014 SLS, Mr Lwazi Bam (CEO of Deloitte) was invited to speak to the students which provided students with very great insights about being a business leader.
How do I enter the SLS?
The SLS is open to all students who are studying towards the Chartered Accountancy route at all SAICA accredited Universities. Posters are distributed to all these Universities with the information and further details are posted on SAICA’s NowICAn website and NowICAn social media sites.
The competition is open to students from first year to CTA.
All essays are to be emailed to slscompetition@saica.co.za before the closing date.
How do I know if I have made it to the SLS?
Successful candidates will be contacted to be invited to the SLS. All arrangements (including travel and accommodation) are made for the student to attend the SLS.
What makes the SLS different?
The SLS provides students with great insight into the career field that they are studying. It not only provides a platform for students who are tomorrow’s leaders to engage with their peeps but also allows the student an opportunity to engage with business leader, CEO of a major company or young leader who is a game changer- people that some students have only read about in magazines. The SLS also provides students with great insights into the softer skills such as cognitive thinking. This assists students to think more broadly about the world around them and how they could make a difference to their own lives, those they engage with and their communities. The SLS also changes the status quo about the CA profession. CAs(SA) are not just boring and bland but are dynamic, ambitious and very driven people who are tasked with being business leaders and trusted to not only be cognisant of their companies but also be aware of the world around them and their impact in this world. The SLS is one such a platform that places students in this very position.