December has been a rewarding month for activpayroll with the Edinburgh and Aberdeen payroll academy trainees receiving their Payroll Technician qualifications from The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP). The national average pass rate of 78% was exceeded by all activpayroll trainees, scoring an impressive 91% or above.
The qualification covered topics such as: Pay As You Earn (PAYE), National Insurance Contribution (NIC) and then moved on to more complex rules such as Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). In order to gain the certification, the trainees had to complete two online assessments that involved performing a series of calculations based on what they had learnt throughout the training.
The qualification is designed to improve knowledge and confidence, help gain a greater understanding of payroll administration and reduce the risks of compliance penalties. This new accomplishment means that everyone at activpayroll now holds a payroll qualification.
Katie Lange, UK Payroll Team Lead and Edinburgh Trainee commented: “As I’ve been working in payroll for years, I found the process manageable as many of the skills I learned during the training I already used on a daily basis. Like many, I found the prospect of an exam terrifying, however I’m really proud I did it and now have a recognised qualification in payroll from the CIPP."
Alan Isdale, CIPP National Lead for Scotland, attended a celebratory lunch at both activpayroll offices to present the trainees with their certificates and commented: “I’ve been involved with the activpayroll training academy from an early stage and it was hugely rewarding to see them achieve their CIPP qualifications. For everyone to pass with such a high score is an outstanding achievement and a real credit to those who have mentored the teams throughout the process.”