New entry-level certificate provides hands-on practice in Microsoft Excel and Copilot, giving accounting and finance professionals a practical starting point with AI

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Becker, the leading provider of accounting exam review and continuing professional education, today announced the launch of Foundations of AI for Accountants Certificate, a new entry-level certificate program built to help individual accounting and finance professionals build practical, hands-on AI skills. The program is part of the Becker AI™ suite of learning solutions.

Accounting and finance professionals are increasingly expected to use AI in their day-to-day work, but many entry-level courses don’t offer relevant training that builds real, applicable skills. The Foundations of AI for Accountants Certificate addresses this gap directly with a program built around hands-on demonstration and practice, while building on the critical thinking skills professionals already have.

The self-paced, on-demand, four-course program moves learners from foundational AI concepts to hands-on practice in Microsoft Excel and Copilot. The courses are AI Foundations for Accountants Today, Working Effectively with AI Assistants, AI in Excel: Built-In Intelligence, and Accelerating Accounting Work with Copilot and Agents.

Built around accounting-specific examples and synthetic data, the curriculum reinforces effective prompting, output verification, Excel-based data preparation and validation, and responsible use of Copilot’s chat, edit, and agentic capabilities. A culminating capstone activity lets learners apply skills from across the certificate to an integrated accounting workflow. Upon completion, learners earn 5.0 NASBA-approved CPE credits and a certificate and digital badge demonstrating their AI skills.

“AI is already part of how accountants and finance professionals work, but for a lot of individual professionals, the training available to them hasn’t kept pace,” said Ed Clark, president of Becker. “The Foundations of AI for Accountants Certificate gives professionals a practical, hands-on starting point, building real skills in the tools they already use, like Excel and Copilot, so they can apply AI with confidence and good judgment. It’s the entry point into Becker’s broader AI-for-accounting portfolio, and an upgrade in how we help professionals build that foundation.”

Foundations of AI for Accountants Certificate is available now for individual accounting and finance professionals looking to build foundational AI skills, and as a standalone add-on for current Becker CPE subscribers. Learn more at becker.com.

About Becker

Becker is the leading provider of the CPA Exam Review, CMA Exam Review, EA Exam Review, CIA Exam Review, and continuing professional education (CPE). With expert instructors, high-quality content, flexible learning formats, and Newt™, an AI study tool, Becker’s exam reviews provide personalized learning experiences and unlimited support to help accountants, auditors, and tax professionals pass their exams and go further in their careers. Learn more at becker.com.

Becker is a part of Colibri Group, which is strengthening the future of professional education by empowering professionals to achieve more, adapt, and thrive in their careers. In the age of AI, Colibri helps more than three million professionals each year build the knowledge and skills they need to keep pace with change. Colibri serves essential industries including accounting, financial services, real estate, and healthcare, from earning licenses to continuing education and career advancement. Visit colibrigroup.com for more information.

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SOURCE Becker