Accountancy students at Orkney College proved they were good with numbers when they notched up a 100 per cent success rate during their final exams.

The 14 students, the first to take a Modern Apprenticeship in Accounting at the college, achieved exam results well above the national average.

They scored a 93 per cent pass rate in one exam, compared to a national success rate of 66 per cent.

Then they did even better - all of them passing the second exam. Nationally, this exam has an 81 per cent pass rate.

All the students work in accountancy with companies and organisations based in Orkney.

They attended Orkney College for a half-day each week during the Modern Apprenticeship course.

For those that work in the private sector - the majority of the students - course and exam fees were paid for by Orkney Enterprise, along with their membership of the AAT, the Association of Accounting Technicians.

Claire Kemp, a business studies lecturer at the college, said: "I expected them to do well because they were such good students.

"But when we compared their exam results to the national average, it really drove home just how exceptional they'd been.

"These are our first graduates to achieve a Modern Apprenticeship in Accounting. The exams they sat are set by the AAT and are recognised internationally. So it's a tremendous achievement - particularly as they had to do all the course work while still carrying out their day-to-day jobs."

The oldest of the students, 53-year-old Karen Pyke, works as the financial administrator for Orkney Cheese.

"I had a lot of experience in accountancy, but no formal qualifications," she said.
"I thought the Modern Apprenticeship was the ideal way to gain the qualifications I wanted - because it is work based and relates to your everyday job.

"I found it a really valuable process to go through. Going to college was a stimulating experience - and having all our fees paid by Orkney Enterprise was a big bonus."

Lynette Shearer fitted the Modern Apprenticeship into a busy life.  The 36-year-old mum works part time for the Orcadia accountancy practice and has two young children to look after.

"I've been working for the company since 1993, but I decided to wait until I'd had the kids before taking on a challenge like this," she said.

"This was a great opportunity to gain a qualification that has international recognition.
Five of us from Orcadia did the Modern Apprenticeship.  The company were really supportive - as were all the staff we worked with at the college."