Kickstart the year with accelerAATe 2025
The AAT student conference is back to help you pave the way to a remarkable year. This free online three-day conference is the perfect way to kickstart your year.
From 29–31 January 2025 we've lined up a range of fantastic speakers to help support, guide, and motivate you with your studies as well as your career development. You’ll hear from AAT tutors, industry professionals and past AAT students who've been in the same position as you.
Get yourself booked on and let's start the new year in top gear.
Why attend?
Be assessment ready – ensure you’re fully prepared to tackle your assessments confidently as we cover all the support on offer to you.
Discover where your qualification can take you – hear from qualified AAT accountants on where their qualifications took them.
Study support tips – learn from past students and members on their experiences when studying AAT.
Build your confidence – take ownership of your brand and amplify your offering to help you stand out from your peers.
Connect with your community – join fellow students and AAT experts live to build your network, ask questions, and get real-world advice.
Be career ready – find out which technical skills you’ll need to build a successful career in accounting.
2025 programme
You’re in control of your learning experience. Tailor the sessions to suit you by registering for the sessions that will benefit you most. You can register for one session or all eight – the choice is yours. You’ll also gain access to all recordings for the sessions you’re registered for.
Day one: Wednesday 29 January
Where can an AAT qualification take you? (12.00–13.00 UK time)
Kicking off this year’s student conference we’ll be joined by a panel of qualified AAT accountants to discuss their AAT journey.
- Get inspired by hearing all about their experience with AAT and the influence it had on achieving their careers goals.
- Learn all about the challenges they faced getting to where they are now, and how they turned these into successes.
- Gain advice on what you can do when approaching your own AAT journey and kickstarting your career in finance.
Whether you’re looking for motivation, guidance, or are just feeling a bit curious, you’ll have a chance to ask questions to our expert panel.
Speakers:
- Neil Maguire, Marketing Manager at AAT
- Sarah Beale, Director, CEO at AAT
- Natalie O'Donnell, Tutor, Strategic Cost and Control Manager at Barclaycards
- Bola Lawal, Senior Associate Controller at JP Morgan
Using social media to land your dream job – with Reed Recruitment (18.00–19.00 UK time)
In today's competitive job market, your social presence matters. Social media is more than a platform to connect with friends, it's also a representation of your personal brand, which makes it a powerful tool for employers to use when reviewing candidates for job roles.
Is your online profile one you feel comfortable showing to an employer?
In this session Michael Jones from Reed Recruitment will take you through:
- how to represent yourself on different social media platforms
- using social media to enhance your job search
- top tips on managing your online persona.
Speaker:
- Michael Jones, Regional Director at Reed
Communicating finance to non-finance people (12.00–13.00 UK time)
Working in finance you’ll find yourself in a position where you often need to explain numbers to various colleagues and clients. Which is why it’s important to understand the importance of how to present your data to an audience that doesn’t have a finance background.
Join past AAT apprentice and current tutor Paul Bramall as he talks about the use of data analysis and interpretation in the workplace.
In this session you’ll learn about:
- what is data analysis and interpretation
- what scenarios you’re likely to face at work
- how to present and explain your work within a business environment
- simplifying your data to a non-accountant.
Speakers:
- Paul Bramall, AAT Curriculum Operations Manager at Chesterfield College
Exam preparation – Training Link's tips and tricks (13.30–14.00 UK time)
Session sponsor: Training Link
In this session, Will shall share valuable tips and strategies to help you maximise your exam preparation and performance. Whether you're preparing for your first AAT exam or looking for ways to improve your approach, you'll leave with actionable tips to help you succeed.
Speaker:
Will Boardman, Tutor at Training Link
Digital showcase: From study stress to success: Ideal School’s ultimate strategies to unleash your potential and ace your studies (14.30–15.00 UK time)
Session Sponsor: Ideal Schools
Struggling with stress as exams approach? You’re not alone - at one time or another, we all feel the pressure.
The team at Ideal Schools have a toolkit of simple but powerful techniques to manage your stress while boosting your study skills. You’ll discover how to maintain motivation, stay calm, and remain organised throughout your studies so you can pass those exams!
We’re sharing the best strategies that we’ve discovered over 40 years as a distance learning course provider in bookkeeping and accounting, working with AAT students as an accredited AAT training provider for over ten years
Speaker:
Ellis Harris-Boulter MAAT MICB, Tutor at Ideal Schools
Making the most of your AAT resources (18.00–19.00 UK time)
Are you making the most of your AAT student resources?
Your MyAAT account is home to a wide range of study support resources, and we recognise that sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to use at different stages when you’re studying.
In this session, two members of AAT staff, who have both also studied and taught AAT, will be:
- showcasing everything AAT has on offer
- giving their advice on making the most out of the resources
- sharing tips on staying motivated and feeling confident for your assessments
- overcoming study barriers.
You’ll also have a chance to ask questions to the speakers.
Speakers:
- Danielle Smith, Regional Account Manager at AAT
- Zoe Smith, Regional Account Manager at AAT
Employer panel: The skills needed for future accountants (12.00–13.15 UK time)
Get a head start in your career by hearing all about the key skills and attributes employers look for in their finance staff.
In this employer panel we’ll be joined by BKL, EG Group, Network Rail to discuss the future of accountancy and the impact on finance roles.
In this session you’ll learn about:
- the skills needed for a future accountant
- the value of your own transferable skills
- adapting with technology
- tips on future-proofing yourself.
You’ll also get a chance to ask the employers questions.
Speakers:
- Anthony Clarke, Business Development Manager at AAT
- Spencer Harrison, Head of Learning at EG Group
- Hollie Moore, Early Careers Manager at BKL
Mastering workplace relationships (14.00–15.00 UK time)
In this session, professional trainer Joanna Gaudoin, will take you through the importance of building professional workplace relationships and how these relationships can help boost your career success.
We’ll be covering:
- the relationships to consider
- your impact on others
- key relationship skills
- the ‘magic’ ingredient of emotional intelligence.
You’ll have the chance to ask questions throughout.
Speaker:
- Joanna Gaudoin, Managing Director at Inside Out Image
Ideal Schools
Ideal Schools is a multi-award-winning college, excelling in bookkeeping and accounting education for 40 years.
It provides affordable AAT course packages, personalised exam guidance, and a dedicated support team to help students achieve their career aspirations.
Ideal Schools prioritises comprehensive support and preparation for student success.
See what previous students have said
“Thank you AAT – absolutely loved this event! I can’t believe I didn’t realise what resources were available until now!”
"This event has given me the confidence to tackle my studies in the new year.”
"As a distance learner, this conference made me feel a part of the AAT community."
"Fantastic! Really great speakers – very informative and useful.”
"This event was really beneficial to me. The sessions have kept me engaged and focused."
