Welcome to Your PPR - First Steps: PERT Setup and Role Requirements

Oct 5, 2026

Guidance for CPA Alberta Practical Experience under the pre-approved program route (PPR), explaining how candidates, mentors, program managers, and program leaders use the Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT). Covers first steps for setting up login and submitting experience reports, selecting the correct pre-approved experience route, and handling transitions from the Experience Verification Route. Details recurring obligations such as twice-yearly self-assessment and mentor meetings, plus program-level monitoring, certifications, employment confirmations, and chargeable hours sign-off.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

FIRST STEPS

Set up Your Login to the Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT)

Understand the Various PPR Roles and Their Requirements

Understand the Practical Experience Requirements

COMPETENCY MAP

CPA PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE POLICIES

ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF YOUR PPR

Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT)

OBJECTIVE OF PERT

PERT USER GUIDES

Welcome to your PPR [cpaalberta.ca](cpaalberta.ca) Thank you for your firm’s dedication to training CPA candidates. CPA Alberta’s Practical Experience team looks forward to supporting you. If you have any questions pertaining to your organization’s pre-approved program route (PPR), please contact a member of our team at [ppr@cpaalberta.ca](ppr@cpaalberta.ca). FIRST STEPS Set up Your Login to the Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT) As the Program Leader for your organization’s PPR, you will receive an email notification from PERT that your account has been created, and you will be prompted to create a password. You may receive multiple emails depending on the number of roles that you have assumed (i.e. you may receive an additional email if you have also taken on the role of the Program Manager) . Understand the Various PPR Roles and Their Requirements CANDIDATES CPA candidates are expected to document their development of technical and enabling competencies in PERT in order for them to be assessed and recognized by the profession. As your organization’s PPR has now been setup, your candidates can now begin reporting their experience under your organization’s PPR within PERT. To do this, they will have to create a profile within PERT and select “Pre-Approved Program” as their experience route. They will then select their organization and corresponding pre-approved program route (i.e. External Audit, Review, ACT, other) . Once this has been done, any newly created experience reports will automatically be associated with your organization’s PPR. If there are candidates in your organization currently reporting under the Experience Verification Route, please have them contact [ppr@cpaalberta.ca](ppr@cpaalberta.ca) to assist them in transitioning over to your organization’s PPR. At least twice per year, candidates are required to: • Self-assess proficiency in technical and enabling competencies in PERT. • Request a Mentor Meeting in PERT and meet with their mentor to discuss progress. • If the candidate has reached completion or has departed from the organization, they will be required to submit a CPA Review in PERT. More guidance for your candidates regarding their practical experience reporting requirements can be found here. MENTORS Your organization has committed to ensuring that a designated Alberta CPA Mentor is meeting with each CPA candidate at least twice a year (e.g. in-person, via phone, or Skype, etc. ) to discuss competency development as recorded in PERT and to identify strategies for further development. Mentors are also responsible for informing the Program Leader/Manager about any unresolved concerns and then documenting those in PERT. Designated individuals that wish to become CPA mentors can register here. We also strongly encourage all CPA mentors to watch the video located here. PROGRAM MANAGERS The Program Manager is responsible for monitoring the status of all candidates within your organization’s PPR, which includes confirming a candidate’s employment status within the organization. Employment confirmations should be completed no later than 15 days after the Program Manager has being notified by PERT. Employment Ended” in PERT as soon as possible. Only once the “Employment Ended” is initiated will the candidates be prompted to report their experience by way of a change of job CPA Review. More guidance regarding this role can be found here. PROGRAM LEADERS As a Program Leader, you are responsible for providing total oversight of the PPR and for providing a certification sign-off for all candidates who complete their experience. Within PERT, you will be able to view details of any candidates that have requested a CPA Review of their experience (i.e. certification review, change of job review) . More guidance regarding this role can be found here. Additionally, pre-approved program leaders overseeing candidates pursuing public accounting streams must sign-off

FAQs

How do CPA candidates begin reporting experience under an organization’s PPR in PERT?

They create a profile in PERT and select “Pre-Approved Program” as their experience route, then choose their organization and the corresponding pre-approved program route so new reports link automatically to the PPR.

How often are candidates required to complete actions in PERT?

At least twice per year, candidates self-assess proficiency in technical and enabling competencies, request and meet with a mentor in PERT, and submit a CPA Review in PERT if they complete or depart from the organization.

What responsibilities do mentors have within a PPR program?

Mentors must meet each CPA candidate at least twice a year to discuss competency development recorded in PERT, inform program leadership about unresolved concerns, and document those concerns in PERT.

Oct 5, 2026

Uploaded by Danger Angel