In addition to passing the Institute's exams, Chartered Accountants Ireland students are required to undertake a defined period of Approved Training (Training Contract route) or, for Flexible Route trainees, successfully complete a defined amount of Approved Experience. The period of Approved Training/Approved Experience is determined by the student's educational background, and is specified as an outcome of the Exemptions & Eligibility process. For example, students with a undergraduate degree are required to complete a 3.5 year period of Approved Training/Experience.

During the period of Approved Training/Experience. students will learn to apply obtained functional/technical knowledge to real-life situations, and transversal skills will be developed, including  ethical and professional behaviour, as expected of a prospective member of the profession.

Since 2006, all Chartered Accountants Ireland students have been required to (regularly) record all relevant work experience on an online system and have this experience approved twice per year.

Prior to 2025, the platform provided for this purpose was the CA Diary of Professional Development. Unless otherwise advised, CA Diary users will continue to use the CA Diary until the completion of the Approved Training period or until all Approved Experience has been recorded and verified. A resource package for CA Diary users is available on this webpage.

Training and Development Log

The CA Diary is being replaced by the Training & Development Log (TDL) and all new intake students from the 2025-26 academic year onwards will use the TDL to demonstrate the professional development (training) requirements. Additionally, some trainees who commenced training prior to 2025-26 will move from the CA Diary to the TDL.

Users of the TDL will be onboarded on a phased basis from November 2025 onwards and access is made available following the approval of the Training Contract or Flexible Route registration. Students in Training Contracts should consult their training employer representatives to establish who will be taking on the role of TDL Approver (formerly known as Mentor in CA Diary). Flexible Route students should contact the Training Support Unit for information on how to assign a TDL Approver. A full suite of resources will be made available to TDL users and the link will be made available on this webpage.

Have a query? 

For general queries regarding the CA Diary, please contact Trainingsupport@charteredaccountants.ie or call 01 637 7202