How internal auditing students become professionals on campus

Abstract

The dramatic shortage of internal auditors is however not unique to South Africa. In the United States of America the highly publicised corporate failures and the subsequent Sarbanes-Oxley Act has also led to a skills shortage in the internal auditing profession. To meet this increased demand, entities are looking towards universities to attract suitable students to enter the profession. A graduate student who enters the job market for the first time is however, not necessarily ready to execute his or her duties competently, and as many an experienced internal auditor will know, providing new recruits with practical training can be a full-time exercise in itself. It is exactly this “window period” between student and competent employee that is addressed by the unique internal auditing programme offered by Louisiana State University (LSU) in the United States of America (USA).