This section is a directory of training for the most popular software on the market.
All of the suggestions and links are free of charge unless otherwise stated and there is a mix of official and unofficial training.
To get DEXT certified they have a platform called Orange Select Orange Select (dext.com)
There is also live and on demand training available. I would ensure they don’t spend time on topics that are irrelevant such as DEXT commerce if your practice does not use it.
The following headings are available for Dext Prepare which I would recommend:
-Getting Started with Dext Prepare for Accountants and Bookkeepers
-Advanced Training for Accountants and Bookkeepers
-Training for your Clients
-Training for Small-to-Medium sized Businesses and Self-Employed
These can be found on this link Live and On Demand Training - Dext Help Center and have set times for the training.
In terms of free of charge training there isn’t an awful lot on the market that provide official certification, but Microsoft have an incredible library off resources.
Microsoft 365 Training
From here you can select the app you want to learn and dig as deep as you like into that.
I would also recommend (and it’s how I do a lot of my learning) a few great You Tube channels. There are some brilliant ones on Excel which I assume will be the focus.
This video is highly recommended as it covers the main excel functions (eg. Round, VLookUp, If, Sums and so much more) that is relevant to accountants.
Excel for Accounting - 10 Excel Functions You NEED to KNOW! - YouTube
This is also a great channel too Kevin Stratvert - YouTube
Specifically relating to Microsoft 365 I would suggest asking the new team member to watch these…
This covers pretty much all the Apps in Microsoft 365 (most I assume you don’t use) but it is only 17 minutes long All the Microsoft 365 Apps Explained - YouTube
15 minute EXCEL tutorial Excel Tutorial in 15 min - YouTube
25 minute ONE DRIVE tutorial How to use Microsoft OneDrive - YouTube
20 minute tips and tricks on OUTLOOK Top 20 Microsoft Outlook Tips & Tricks - YouTube
20 minutes how to use SHAREPOINT How to use Microsoft SharePoint - YouTube
There is training available which is great for clients labelled as ‘get started guides’.
Get Started with QuickBooks | Online Courses & Tutorials (intuit.com)
There is also a variety of videos easily accessible here:
Get started QuickBooks Tutorials US | QuickBooks Online US (intuit.com)
For accountants, in order to obtain certification, modules must be completed.
These can be in:
To achieve this you must log into your Quickbooks account and click on the Pro-Advisor tab on the left, from there you have access to the training.
If you like a more casual way of learning Aaron Patrick from Boffix accountants does a fantastic YouTube series (hence why he is now dubbed ‘The Quickbooks Chap’.
Sage platform have a fantastic online platform called Sage University.
Sage Accounting & Business Software Training | Sage University UK
They offer on-demand sessions and webinars as well as awarding badges for an array of their products, including
I would recommend ensuring as a minimum that a new team member has the Xero certification. This takes roughly 6-8 hours to complete and is done online.
They will need a Xero log in to access the training but it all Free Of Charge.
There are other certifications and training available but I don’t think these are essential.
