The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is the world’s leading professional body for Accounting Technicians, with over 150,000 members worldwide. AAT has 150,000 members according to official records from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). This includes 2,500 licensed bookkeepers. It also includes over 5,000 AAT Licensed Accountants who provide accountancy, tax and business advisory services to more than 500,000 individuals, sole traders and small and medium sized British businesses. 80% of the FTSE 100 employ an AAT apprentice within their finance function. AAT was created in 1980 by the Institute of Accounting Staff (then a subsidiary of ACCA) and the Association of Technicians in Finance and Accounting (then a subsidiary of CIPFA). It is a technician level qualification offering higher apprenticeships which entitles those who have completed the exams and obtained relevant supervised work experience to become an accounting technician. The AAT is based at 140 Aldersgate Street, London but has 43 branches across the UK with representation in the rest of the world including Hong Kong, Botswana and South Africa. Professional recognition The body was sponsored by four UK chartered accountancy bodies; CIPFA, ICAEW, CIMA and ICAS from 1980 until May 2017. After this date, ICAEW, CIPFA, CIMA and ICAS no longer participated in AAT’s governance structure and AAT took the decision to bring their sponsoring body partnerships to a close. A strong relationship remains between AAT and its former sponsoring bodies, albeit on a more operational basis, with exemptions for the chartered qualifications remaining at the heart of those relationships. The AAT became a full member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) in 2012. Versus CAT Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) used to be a sponsor of the AAT but broke away in order to form a rival qualification called the Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) award. The ACCA implemented this policy as it wanted a technician level qualification that offered accountancy apprenticeships based on the same business model as itself. In Scotland The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland is also keen to implement AAT courses into its own business model. It presently has no plans to develop an ICAS technician qualification in direct competition with the AAT's UK model as proposed in the late 1990s.. In South Africa The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants decided to sponsor the AAT program offering higher apprenticeship accounting courses and it has expanded since 2011. AAT(SA) has no