Course Overview

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to operate as a company secretary. The qualification provides for entry after Level 4 and has two parts. The first part prepares learners to function as governance practitioners in a wide range of organisational contexts and enables learners to exit the learning pathway at Level 7. The second part builds on this general foundation laid in Part 1 and focuses specifically on the role and responsibilities of the company secretary. The autonomy and complexity of responsibilities increase from Part 1 to Part 2.

A qualified learner will be able to:

• Mitigate functions within an organisation to achieve the objectives of the organisation while addressing the expectations of its stakeholders.
• Report to the board on relevant corporate and business legislation and case law relating to compliance with the Act, the Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) or rules of the company.
• Collate and distribute the company’s annual financial statements to every person entitled to them for strategic decision-making purposes.
• Advise directors of any laws relevant to or affecting the company to ensure sound corporate governance principles and best practices in various organisational contexts.
• Communicate with peers, superiors, subordinates, customers and service providers in a work environment.
• Apply the concepts and principles of strategic management to organisations in order to protect their reputation and promote good governance and accountability to stakeholders.
• Critically evaluate and advise the board or governing body on concepts of risk and compliance management in the context of good governance.
• Certify the annual financial statements and accounting information, to ensure that all the necessary notices and returns have been filed in compliance with the Act and that they are true, correct and up to date.
• Complete a range of tasks required of the company secretary to ensure compliance of a corporate entity with statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Act as chief adviser to the board or governing body and other stakeholders on best practice in corporate governance, and as the catalyst for systematic application of governance principles and compliance across a wide range of organisations.

Course Breakdown: