Certificate in Finance and Applied Accounting

Certificate in Finance and Applied Accounting

5-Day Training Course

Introduction

A solid grasp of finance and accounting principles is essential for managers and professionals across every function — not just finance departments. This 5-day program builds practical financial literacy and applied accounting skills, enabling participants to read financial statements, control budgets, evaluate investment decisions, and communicate confidently with finance teams and stakeholders. The course blends core accounting theory with hands-on application, tailored to the regulatory and business environment of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the GCC, and Africa.

Who Should Attend (Target Audience)

• Finance and accounting professionals seeking a structured refresher/certification

• Non-financial managers and department heads

• Budget owners, project managers, and cost controllers

• Internal auditors and compliance officers

• Business owners and entrepreneurs

• Professionals preparing for finance-related career advancement

Learning Methods

• Instructor-led sessions with real-world financial case studies

• Hands-on exercises using financial statements and spreadsheets

• Group workshops on budgeting and ratio analysis

• Practical calculations: costing, breakeven, investment appraisal

• Individual assessment and applied case-study project

• Templates and toolkits (budget models, financial ratio dashboards)

• Delivery formats: in-person, live virtual, or in-house/on-site

Day 1 – Foundations of Finance and Accounting

• The role of finance and accounting in business decision-making

• Understanding the accounting cycle and key principles (IFRS overview)

• The three core financial statements: income statement, balance sheet, cash flow

• Accrual vs. cash accounting

• Workshop: Reading and interpreting a company's financial statements

Day 2 – Financial Statement Analysis

• Ratio analysis: profitability, liquidity, efficiency, solvency

• Trend and comparative analysis

• Identifying financial red flags and risks

• Benchmarking performance against industry standards

• Workshop: Financial health check on a case-study company

Day 3 – Budgeting and Cost Management

• Budgeting principles and the budgeting cycle

• Fixed, variable, and semi-variable costs

• Cost-volume-profit (breakeven) analysis

• Variance analysis and budgetary control

• Workshop: Building a departmental budget

Day 4 – Applied Accounting for Managers

• Working capital management

• Managing receivables, payables, and inventory

• Capital expenditure vs. operating expenditure

• Internal controls and fraud prevention basics

• Workshop: Applied costing and pricing exercise

Day 5 – Investment Appraisal and Financial Decision-Making

• Time value of money and discounted cash flow basics

• Investment appraisal techniques (NPV, IRR, payback period)

• Financial decision-making for projects and capital investment

• Linking financial performance to strategic goals

• Final assessment, applied case-study project, and certification