An Open Path to Moving Up

“Every six weeks, Tracy Howell reports for a morning training session at the accounting firm Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co.
in Westborough.
The sessions have been a valuable introduction to the profession for the 22-year-old University of New Hamphire graduate. In late
September, Howell listened to four senior partners talk about their specialites; afterward, she met with her “coach,” another senior
partner who has been helping her navigate the firm and the profession. The sessions, she said, “show that the firm cares about
me as a professional and as a person.
When employees grow and advance, the benefits extend to the entire company. These three organizations were rated highly for training and career resources.
ALEXANDER, ARONSON, FINNING & CO.
“We are focused on constant learning,” said Carla McCall, a partner in charge of staff development at Alexander, Aronson, Finning. “We believe that people have to keep growing.”
The 130-member firm, with offices in Wellesley, Westborough, and Worcester, hires 15 to 20 people every year. For two years, all the new hires are assigned mentors and participate in regularly scheduled meetings that expose them to all the specialties of the firm.
The firm pays the thousand-dollar-and-up price for their certified public accounting license exam, and contributes to the cost of review sessions. Employees are also given time off to prepare for and take the exam, which takes 16 hours over multiple days.
Even experienced employees at Alexander, Aronson, Finning receive more than 80 hours of professional training a year. According to McCall, “We want them to find something that they are passionate about.”