If you take pride in a balanced cheque book each month, companies across every industry need your skill to manage their finances, and our Bookkeeping Certificate can give you the training and knowledge you need to succeed.
The essential job of a bookkeeper is to keep meticulously detailed financial records for a company or organization. Bookkeepers maintain complete sets of financial records, keep track of accounts, and verify the accuracy of procedures used for recording financial transactions.
Bookkeeping is a stable and in-demand profession, with Service Canada reporting that 80% of all bookkeepers find full-time employment. In addition, the average unemployment rate of bookkeepers is half as low as the average unemployment rate for all professions.
Career Opportunities
All businesses, regardless of their size, perform financial transactions and all of them need bookkeepers. Many bookkeepers are self-employed, running small businesses and sub-contracting services to regular clients. Bookkeepers are employed by private businesses, governments, and virtually every other type of institution.
Rhonda Darbyson has over 20 years of practical business experiences as a small business owner, administrative assistant, and bookkeeper in the retail, service, manufacturing, and non-profit sectors. In addition to performing all aspects of full-cycle accounting, she has also created business plans for several successful start-ups, as well as written multiple funding proposals and job bids.
Rhonda holds a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology, Diploma in Business Administration majoring in Accounting, Provincial Instructor Diploma, as well as certificates in Learner-centered Instruction and Office Adminstration. As a bookkeeping and office administration instructor for the past nine years, Rhonda strives to create learner-centred, collaborative, innovative learning experiences to promote student motivation, engagement, and success.
Zahra comes to Ashton with over 15 years of experience in accounting and finance. Having worked in different capacities in public practice, private, public and not-for-profit organizations, her experience spans over diverse industries such as aviation, transportation, construction, and telecommunications. As an educator, she has experience in facilitating CPA modules, in-class workshops and teaching CPA candidates. Zahra holds an Honors Degree in Commerce and has a Certified Professional Accountant designation for British Columbia.
Cynthia Ellacott, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) who has worked to enhance both large and small business by reviewing processes and making recommendations for changes. She has been working in the accounting field since she was a teenager in her family business. She started doing ledger accounting when she was thirteen before the start of accounting programs. She received her accounting designation in 2000.
Cynthia had worked in many organizations from construction companies owned by her family, to real estate companies (Intrawest Blackcomb), private schools and medical clinics. Currently Cynthia is working as a Public Accountant, supporting Charities and startup companies, and doing Personal and Corporate Taxes.
Emad Tawadrous has the following academic credentials:
Taxation studies from John Molson School of Business Concordia University Montréal, Québec Canada
Master’s degree in Managerial & Cost Accounting from the high Institute of Accounting studies, Alexandria University Egypt
Bachelor’s degree in Professional Accounting, Accounting Sciences and Management Accounting from Alexandria University Egypt.
Emad assisted a Taxation lecturer at the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University (Montréal, Québec, Canada). He has more than 12 years of experience in Accounting & Auditing obtained in various companies across Canada & Egypt. Emad volunteers for many charities around Canada by assisting with individual income tax preparation.
Rozita has been an accountant and payroll manager for over 14 years. She possesses a Bachelor Degree in Business, a computerized accounting diploma, and a CPC. During her 14 years of experience, she has worked with different companies in Canada and Iran such as:
Capilano suspension group
Balley Ventures Inc.
Nirwana Holdings Ltd.
Caffè Artigiano Inc.
Mobared Sanat Ltd. (Iran)
Fanavaran Sanat Boroudat Ltd. (Iran)
Rozita is responsible for the whole cycle of accounting including AP/AR, Payroll, T4s, WCB, ROE, GST, PST, bank reconciliation, account reconciliation, Inventory, remit to CRA, making Financial statements, as well as T2 incorporation tax.
Kazem has 20 years working experience in various Financial and Accounting fields with Public, private and governmental companies; he is in charge of numerous positions, from accountant to board member and consulting positions.
Apart from Master’s Degree in Industrial Management, Kazem obtained professional designations and qualifications as a:
Member of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, CPA
Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of UK, ACCA, world’s most widely respected qualification and accountancy body
Member of Iranian Institute of Certified Accountants
On a regular basis, Kazem holds various educational seminars for bankers and financial institutions; he gives presentations on finance, accounting and insurance topics both in Iran and Canada. Since 2014, Kazem has been working with H&R BLOCK, the largest tax service providers in Canada, holding various positions such as Tax Instructor and Tax Professional.
Nancy Lassiter has more than 20 years’ practical experience in pre- and post-professional bookkeeping and accounting roles. She has held progressively challenging positions as a professional accountant in public practice and in other areas of the industry. She holds a Bachelor of General Studies degree and is a CPA, CGA. Nancy has a passion for lifelong learning and for giving back to the profession.
Nancy is passionate about teaching accounting and enjoys inspiring others to be the best that they can be. She is always open to finding creative ways to ensure every e-learning experience is interactive, meaningful and fun. With the use of real-life examples and interactive activities, learners will be engaged in their studies. Nancy’s goal is to help students get ready to put their new skills to use upon graduation.
Effren Atienza has 30 years of international experience working in the fields of bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, taxation, and office administration in South East Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and in Canada.
Effren holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce with a major in Accounting and a minor in English. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) designated by the Canadian Payroll Association. He has taken courses from the Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario, and is a Subject Matter Expert for Computerized Accounting and Payroll in Ontario, a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, and a Certified Professional Bookkeeper.
Effren has his own accounting and consulting firm handling bookkeeping, payroll, and personal and corporate income taxes.
He loves teaching bookkeeping and is willing to share his knowledge and expertise with all students and future bookkeepers.
Ummul Banin H Bhaimeya has over 17 years of practical accounting experience, mainly working for public practices. She has a vast knowledge of organizations within various trades. She earned her Chartered Accountancy Professional Designation from ACCA UK in 2004 and has held her CGA designation for ten years.
With her practical knowledge and strong foundations in accounting, Ummul is thrilled to instil the knowledge into students who share her enthusiasm in Financial Accounting.
Peter Goel is an accounting professional with over 10 years of experience in diverse industries, such as not-for-profit, property management, public practice, textile, and manufacturing. He obtained his Bachelors degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and recently received CPA and CGA designation.
Right now, Peter is pursuing his true passion: teaching. He has been teaching computerized accounting to students from various post-secondary institutions, and he has taught various classes on accounting software, such as Sage 50, QuickBooks, and Sage 300 (AccPac). In addition, he teaches Business Communication, Economics, and MS Office with emphasis on Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Peter also coaches and mentors students privately, helping them make the right career choices. His goal is to give the students an insight into any specific industry and guide them for the in-demand jobs.
Peter is involved with Chartered Professional Accountant of BC (CPABC) in their Financial Literacy program and various professional events. His interests include running marathons, staying updated with political and financial news, investing, travelling, cooking, and outdoor activities.
John Kurian is a designated Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a Certified General Accountant (CGA) with over 20 years’ experience in the fields of Corporate Accounting, Finance and Education. He is passionate about teaching and e-learning, and draws on his practical experience when teaching Accounting and Business courses at Ashton College. He is very careful about choosing his online resources and tools as he believes good hands-on training and guidance are half the battle in developing a successful skill set, competency and business operation.
John has taught accounting and business courses in six provinces in China and has developed courses and taught/facilitated in professional accounting degree programs, MBA and graduate programs in Canada.
Luz Abad comes to Ashton College with a wealth of experience in the accounting and bookkeeping fields as well as in teaching. Luz holds a Bachelor of Accounting, a BC Provincial Instructor Diploma, and a licence in Life, Accident & Sickness Insurance. Luz has been in the finance industry for more than 15 years and has held positions with Proctor and Gamble, Vancity, the Burnaby School District, Embers, and Vancouver Community College.
Rhonda Darbyson has over 20 years of practical business experiences as a small business owner, administrative assistant, and bookkeeper in the retail, service, manufacturing, and non-profit sectors. In addition to performing all aspects of full-cycle accounting, she has also created business plans for several successful start-ups, as well as written multiple funding proposals and job bids.
Rhonda holds a Master of Arts in Learning and Technology, Diploma in Business Administration majoring in Accounting, Provincial Instructor Diploma, as well as certificates in Learner-centered Instruction and Office Adminstration. As a bookkeeping and office administration instructor for the past nine years, Rhonda strives to create learner-centred, collaborative, innovative learning experiences to promote student motivation, engagement, and success.
Zahra comes to Ashton with over 15 years of experience in accounting and finance. Having worked in different capacities in public practice, private, public and not-for-profit organizations, her experience spans over diverse industries such as aviation, transportation, construction, and telecommunications. As an educator, she has experience in facilitating CPA modules, in-class workshops and teaching CPA candidates. Zahra holds an Honors Degree in Commerce and has a Certified Professional Accountant designation for British Columbia.
Cynthia Ellacott, is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) who has worked to enhance both large and small business by reviewing processes and making recommendations for changes. She has been working in the accounting field since she was a teenager in her family business. She started doing ledger accounting when she was thirteen before the start of accounting programs. She received her accounting designation in 2000.
Cynthia had worked in many organizations from construction companies owned by her family, to real estate companies (Intrawest Blackcomb), private schools and medical clinics. Currently Cynthia is working as a Public Accountant, supporting Charities and startup companies, and doing Personal and Corporate Taxes.
Emad Tawadrous has the following academic credentials:
Taxation studies from John Molson School of Business Concordia University Montréal, Québec Canada
Master’s degree in Managerial & Cost Accounting from the high Institute of Accounting studies, Alexandria University Egypt
Bachelor’s degree in Professional Accounting, Accounting Sciences and Management Accounting from Alexandria University Egypt.
Emad assisted a Taxation lecturer at the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University (Montréal, Québec, Canada). He has more than 12 years of experience in Accounting & Auditing obtained in various companies across Canada & Egypt. Emad volunteers for many charities around Canada by assisting with individual income tax preparation.
Rozita has been an accountant and payroll manager for over 14 years. She possesses a Bachelor Degree in Business, a computerized accounting diploma, and a CPC. During her 14 years of experience, she has worked with different companies in Canada and Iran such as:
Capilano suspension group
Balley Ventures Inc.
Nirwana Holdings Ltd.
Caffè Artigiano Inc.
Mobared Sanat Ltd. (Iran)
Fanavaran Sanat Boroudat Ltd. (Iran)
Rozita is responsible for the whole cycle of accounting including AP/AR, Payroll, T4s, WCB, ROE, GST, PST, bank reconciliation, account reconciliation, Inventory, remit to CRA, making Financial statements, as well as T2 incorporation tax.
Kazem has 20 years working experience in various Financial and Accounting fields with Public, private and governmental companies; he is in charge of numerous positions, from accountant to board member and consulting positions.
Apart from Master’s Degree in Industrial Management, Kazem obtained professional designations and qualifications as a:
Member of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, CPA
Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of UK, ACCA, world’s most widely respected qualification and accountancy body
Member of Iranian Institute of Certified Accountants
On a regular basis, Kazem holds various educational seminars for bankers and financial institutions; he gives presentations on finance, accounting and insurance topics both in Iran and Canada. Since 2014, Kazem has been working with H&R BLOCK, the largest tax service providers in Canada, holding various positions such as Tax Instructor and Tax Professional.
Nancy Lassiter has more than 20 years’ practical experience in pre- and post-professional bookkeeping and accounting roles. She has held progressively challenging positions as a professional accountant in public practice and in other areas of the industry. She holds a Bachelor of General Studies degree and is a CPA, CGA. Nancy has a passion for lifelong learning and for giving back to the profession.
Nancy is passionate about teaching accounting and enjoys inspiring others to be the best that they can be. She is always open to finding creative ways to ensure every e-learning experience is interactive, meaningful and fun. With the use of real-life examples and interactive activities, learners will be engaged in their studies. Nancy’s goal is to help students get ready to put their new skills to use upon graduation.
Effren Atienza has 30 years of international experience working in the fields of bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, taxation, and office administration in South East Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and in Canada.
Effren holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce with a major in Accounting and a minor in English. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) designated by the Canadian Payroll Association. He has taken courses from the Certified General Accountants Association of Ontario, and is a Subject Matter Expert for Computerized Accounting and Payroll in Ontario, a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, and a Certified Professional Bookkeeper.
Effren has his own accounting and consulting firm handling bookkeeping, payroll, and personal and corporate income taxes.
He loves teaching bookkeeping and is willing to share his knowledge and expertise with all students and future bookkeepers.
Ummul Banin H Bhaimeya has over 17 years of practical accounting experience, mainly working for public practices. She has a vast knowledge of organizations within various trades. She earned her Chartered Accountancy Professional Designation from ACCA UK in 2004 and has held her CGA designation for ten years.
With her practical knowledge and strong foundations in accounting, Ummul is thrilled to instil the knowledge into students who share her enthusiasm in Financial Accounting.
Peter Goel is an accounting professional with over 10 years of experience in diverse industries, such as not-for-profit, property management, public practice, textile, and manufacturing. He obtained his Bachelors degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and recently received CPA and CGA designation.
Right now, Peter is pursuing his true passion: teaching. He has been teaching computerized accounting to students from various post-secondary institutions, and he has taught various classes on accounting software, such as Sage 50, QuickBooks, and Sage 300 (AccPac). In addition, he teaches Business Communication, Economics, and MS Office with emphasis on Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Peter also coaches and mentors students privately, helping them make the right career choices. His goal is to give the students an insight into any specific industry and guide them for the in-demand jobs.
Peter is involved with Chartered Professional Accountant of BC (CPABC) in their Financial Literacy program and various professional events. His interests include running marathons, staying updated with political and financial news, investing, travelling, cooking, and outdoor activities.
John Kurian is a designated Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a Certified General Accountant (CGA) with over 20 years’ experience in the fields of Corporate Accounting, Finance and Education. He is passionate about teaching and e-learning, and draws on his practical experience when teaching Accounting and Business courses at Ashton College. He is very careful about choosing his online resources and tools as he believes good hands-on training and guidance are half the battle in developing a successful skill set, competency and business operation.
John has taught accounting and business courses in six provinces in China and has developed courses and taught/facilitated in professional accounting degree programs, MBA and graduate programs in Canada.
Luz Abad comes to Ashton College with a wealth of experience in the accounting and bookkeeping fields as well as in teaching. Luz holds a Bachelor of Accounting, a BC Provincial Instructor Diploma, and a licence in Life, Accident & Sickness Insurance. Luz has been in the finance industry for more than 15 years and has held positions with Proctor and Gamble, Vancity, the Burnaby School District, Embers, and Vancouver Community College.
