Abstract:

The aim of this work is to propose tools for the evaluation of professional competences which should be acquired by students of the Master in Accounting and Auditing for their insertion in the labour market. Specially, we analyse the potential of the practicum (internships which form part of the syllabus of the Master) as a means to evaluate these competences.
Many existing studies point out the professional competences that should be acquired in the field of accounting and auditing. Nonetheless, these competences are inherently difficult to be assessed in the lecture hall. The practicum is an ideal context to the development and evaluation of these competences, due to it being the best simulated setting before actually beginning their working career.
With this in mind, we have selected those professional competences which are most propitious for their labour insertion. We go on to draw up material which helps students, internal tutors (academics) and external tutors (company tutors) to develop and evaluate these key competences. In a subsequent stage we analyse the idealness of this material by means of questionnaires administer to tutors.
The main contribution of this study is to put at the disposal of the university community effective material for the development and evaluation of professional competences.

Keywords:

Professional competences, Auditing, Accounting and Auditing teaching, evaluation.