In the Fellowship component of our program, senior auditors from the participating supreme audit institutions (SAIs) come to Canada for nine months to be immersed in auditing and accountability practices, with a focus on performance audit methodologies. The participants are selected jointly by their Auditors General, our Canadian partners, and us.
Fellows have multiple responsibilities, as they contribute to Canadian offices, develop audit plans for their own SAIs, and study and apply new skills and knowledge. The primary Fellowship activities are:
Audit team placement: At the heart of the Fellowship is the audit team placement. Each Fellow joins an audit team at one of our partner offices. Working alongside Canadian colleagues and mentors, the Fellows observe and apply Canadian performance audit practices and contribute to audits underway.
Special project: A performance audit plan: During their time in Canada, the Fellows each develop a plan for a performance audit that will be conducted in their countries. The SAI will carry out the planned audit within two years of the Fellow’s return from Canada, with the Fellow as the team leader and mentoring from us where needed. The Fellows’ audit topics all relate to development priorities. The Fellows each select their topics in consultation with their Auditor General before coming to Canada.
Throughout their placements, the Fellows work with mentors at their host legislative audit office and with us to develop their audit plans, while consulting with support teams from their home offices to obtain information on the auditee. We deliver training on planning performance audits that focuses on the Fellows’ projects. As well, we arrange challenge sessions at which the Fellows present their plans to mentors and other experts and receive feedback to improve their plans. In December, when the Fellows return home for midterm meetings at their SAI, they present their progress on their plans to their Auditor General and other senior managers and meet with their audit teams.
Additional meetings: To complement their learning about auditing at their host offices, Fellows meet with provincial and municipal audit offices, such as the Auditors General for the Cities of Ottawa, Edmonton, and Québec. They also meet with institutions such as Hydro-Québec and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and attend Public Accounts Committee hearings.
Professional development courses: Throughout their stay in Canada, the Fellows participate in several courses delivered by their host offices and by us. Topics include performance audit concepts as well as professional skills such as communications, project management, and leadership. The Fellows also learn about gender equality issues and how they can be considered within performance audits.
Orientation and cultural activities help the Fellows to feel at home in Canada and to build lasting friendships among themselves and with their Canadian colleagues.
When the Fellows return home, they implement and share what they have learned, becoming leaders, trainers, and agents of change, both at their SAIs and in their regional associations of SAIs.
The Canadian Audit and Accountability Foundation and the Fellows thank the Canadian offices that host Fellowships, welcome the Fellows for visits, and provide mentoring.
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