Name: Mark Condon

Company: Dell

Qualifications: CPA

Mark Condon is the finance director in integration in Dell Ireland, one of the largest computer manufacturing companies in the world. He feels the CPA qualification has been been a major advantage to him in a large multinational company. "CPA is an instantly recognisable qualification in Ireland and the United States, so having CPA beside my name has been a great asset working for a large US multinational."

"I chose the CPA qualification for two reasons - the course structure was relevant to what I was working on and I wanted to be part of an Irish organisation with a strong member network that I could access easily."

Read Mark's full profile here.

CPA Ireland is pleased to announce Dell Ireland as the latest addition to the Approved Employer Programme. The multinational computer technology corporation has offices in Limerick, Cork and Dublin. Each year, Dell recruits graduates for their finance development programme.

The two-year Finance Development Program (FDP) gives entry-level undergraduates an opportunity to launch their finance careers. The program consists of four different six-month global finance rotational assignments and a significant academic focus to build solid finance and business skills.

The CPA Approved Employer Programme is a quality frame work for an organisation’s accountancy training programme. Becoming an AEP allows businesses to become an employer of choice for CPA trainees and to earn a higher return on investment for their training and development costs. Employers who partake in the programme can expect to increase their productivity and employee focus and to improve trainee pass rates.

CPA Ireland has partnered with over 130 AEPs to date, including Vodafone, Microsoft, Apple and KPMG. To find out more about the programme, click here.

Finance Director and CPA Mark Condon is pictured here receiving the AEP Certificate from Cathal McNamara, Business Relationship Manager, CPA Ireland.

The latest Employment Monitor from Morgan McKinley has found that employment opportunities in Ireland have increased by 8% compared to the same time last year. The February 2013 Employment Monitor also noted that the number of professionals seeking jobs has dropped by 13% since February 2012.

Speaking about the Monitor, Karen O'Flaherty from Morgan McKinley said it was an encouraging sign for the jobs market. "The market remains challenged but start-up companies combined with job creation from FDI businesses have helped to increase the availability of professional jobs."

The report also noted that those fluent in two or more languages continue to be in demand. Read our article on the growing importance of languages for accountants here.

CPA Ireland is delighted to announce Ardagh Horan as the latest addition to the Approved Employer Programme. Formed in January 1983, Ardagh Horan is one of the leading independent firms of Accountants, Registered Auditors and Tax Advisors in South Dublin. John Connolly from Ardagh Horan is pictured here receiving the certificate from CPA Business Relationship Manager, Cathal McNamara.

The CPA Approved Employer Programme allows businesses to become an employer of choice for CPA trainees and to earn a higher return on investment for their training and development costs. Employers who partake in the programme can expect to increase their productivity and employee focus and to improve trainee pass rates.

CPA Ireland has partnered with over 130 AEPs to date, including Microsoft, Glanbia, Apple and State Street. To find out more about the programme, click here.