Canadian Payroll Reporter

AUGUST 2013 CPA's certification process 'intense' Continued from page 1 one-year condensed course. "I went home to talk to my husband to see if this is something I thought I could do," she says. "But then she called me just a few days later and told me the funding was going to change and it was not going to be in my favour." In order to qualify for better funding, Stoddard would have to start much sooner than initially thought — and she had only 24 hours to decide. Stoddard turned to her husband for guidance. "He just really said, 'You know what, you've looked after both of us and you've raised a son beside that — this is your time," she says. In that moment, Stoddard's life headed in a new direction. "Instead of starting school in four months or five months, I was starting school in three days," she says. "And I did it." Going back to school for payroll was one of the best experiences Stoddard has ever had. "I was really nervous at first," she says. "But once I got settled in, I thought, 'Yeah, this is now what I do.'" Stoddard treated school as a fulltime job. Classes ran from 8 a.m. to noon, but she would remain on campus until 5 p.m. to study and finish assignments. "I used to take my lunch and just go," she says. "That gave me time to get all my work done and not be distracted." Stoddard hadn't really worked with numbers in any of her previous jobs, besides verifying some financial information for the interior design firm. Instead of worrying, she embraced the new challenge. Canadian Payroll Association certification Eastern College's accounting and payroll program includes an eight-week segment designated to training stu- 8 dents to become a certified Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP), which is regulated by the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA). Having the PCP designation demonstrates to employers that the individual has the compliance knowledge required to process an organization's annual payroll cycle and understand the accounting function as it relates to payroll, according to the CPA. Stoddard describes the eight weeks as "intense." "I had a couple of instructors that She treated school as a full-time job. Classes finished at noon, but she would remain on campus until 5 p.m. were really great and they just said, 'You know, you really, really need to have yourself ready for that eight weeks because if you want to do well, you're going to have to be just focused on that," she says. The hard work paid off. Out of 1,800 professionals who received PCP certification in 2012, Stoddard finished on top. She managed to finish her certification with an average of 99 per cent and a mark of 100 per cent in the compliance and legislation component. In June, the CPA invited Stoddard to receive her gold award at its annual awards banquet in Vancouver. "It's really humbling and really, really exciting," Stoddard said after winning the gold award. "She's a driven individual, she had a goal in mind and she was able to succeed in doing that, so it's a real success story," says Steven Van Alstine, vice-president of education at the CPA in Toronto. It's important to recognize success in the payroll community, Van Alstine says. "We've been working hard to raise the profile of the payroll professional and by having awards that can reinforce that, it also helps to raise the profile within the business community," he says. Van Alstine says winning one of CPA's awards is a proud moment for payroll professionals. "In order to be at the top of the class, students need to be dedicated to learning and understanding the myriad of legislation and regulations associated with payroll," he says. "Many of the award winners have developed a passion for what they do and that has propelled them to their success." Stoddard credits taking care of her family as a key propellant to her success. "My husband didn't even drive for Continued on page 12 2013 Canadian Payroll Association Certification Winners nGold Charlene Stoddard, Saint John, N.B. n Silver Wenhelzaviency Ong, Toronto n Bronze Jennifer Lockridge, Fredericton Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013

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