Professional training is seen as an essential requirement in today's world, and for recent graduates leaving university; this point will no doubt have been hammered home endlessly by parents, campus Careers Offices and on the literature provided by graduate recruiters.

 

Many graduates, or those soon to graduate, will be looking at the schemes provided by prestigious organisations, knowing that securing a job with them will usually lead to something good at the end – well rewarded and on track for an exciting and stimulating career. Yet while it is all well and good to get a place on such a scheme, it must be pointed out that increasingly, these organisations require candidates to commit to some form of professional qualification.

 

For those looking at a career in business, this professional training will usually take the form of an accountancy qualification – major bodies being the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Increasingly, however, ambitious graduates are looking to get an even bigger head-start and advantage over their contemporaries, and are enrolling in an MBA course. These have traditionally been taken after a few years' experience in business, but canny graduates have started to realise that taking one at the start of their business career gives them the edge required to make it in today's competitive world. And many MBA qualified candidates often undertake additional accountancy training in addition.

 

The main advantage of taking an MBA at the start of one's business career is that the contacts made and networks developed prove invaluable throughout the course of one's career, and naturally the increased business skills developed by the MBA training will always stand you in good stead. It goes without saying, too, that your earning power is greatly enhanced by the letters 'MBA' on your CV – recruitment departments recognise and appreciate the effort and dedication required to gain such a qualification, and will tend to offer remuneration packages tailored accordingly. Look at the MBA and Executive Education offers at Ashridge Business School.