Thanks to Bob Young - Mr Case Study
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Bob Young (right) may have been caught off guard by Paul Aristides with an award for 25 years of Case Studies, but he still managed to pose gracefully |
Not for the first time, Bob Young and his wife Sue set off in their car loaded with Case Study scripts, computers, stationery and all manner of support equipment.
Their destination was the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, where they would spend the following five days convening the CIPFA Finance & Management Case Study marking for December 2004.
Bob and his team would organise nearly 40 volunteer examiners to mark more than 240 Case Studies from students who had sat the examination only six working days before.
Bob has consistently been one of the education and training department's most reliable and well-respected volunteers. He first became involved with the Case Study in March 1979. The idea was to test practical understanding and the ability to apply knowledge.
Bob has also been a constant and valued participant in the Results Panel (ex-Examinations Board) and Assessment Approval Panels (ex-Syllabus Development Board).
He has received able support from hundreds of volunteers over the years, as well as from his wife, Sue.
To celebrate 25 years of his involvement with the Case Study, Bob was presented with an engraved silver dish with matching carafe and glasses. Although he was caught completely off guard, he still managed to pose gracefully for photographs and say a few words.
Sue was also presented with a gift from Cathy Lyons for all her hard work and commitment. Behind every great man…
Many of the Case Study examiners wished to show their appreciation of Bob's efforts.
Bevis Ingram, assistant county treasurer at Hampshire County Council, said: 'It takes a long time - sometimes several years - to produce and test a Case Study exam of the standard required, and it has needed Bob's dedication, loyalty and tenacity to make sure there is an exam every six months.'
Sue Young (right) also received an award for her help, from Cathy Lyons |
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Kevin Storey, the chief executive of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, is unequivocal: 'Without Bob there would be no Case Study examination.'
Peter Farrimon, finance manager with West Mercia Constabulary, added:'They engender a sort of family atmosphere that somehow makes you want to carry on volunteering.'
Bob's colleague Phil Whittaker, a senior lecturer at the University of Salford, put it another way: 'Bob is Mr Case Study: he not only organises it all (with Sue), but puts in a staggeringly intense effort over a sustained period several times a year. How does he do it? Is there some elixir of eternal youth and vitality in the water where he lives?'
'All CIPFA students and members owe them a huge debt,' Rhona Jack, an Audit Scotland portfolio manager, added.
Ken Gill, CIPFA's education and training director, said: 'It is often too easy to overlook the work of CIPFA's volunteers but it is essential that the Institute maintains and visibly demonstrates its commitment to the volunteers and their efforts.
'The work of CIPFA's volunteers is greatly appreciated by the Institute and necessary for CIPFA to continue to punch above its weight.
'Bob Young's professionalism, dedication and leadership over the past 25 years in the CIPFA Case Study examination process epitomise why CIPFA is unique and ahead of its rivals in the accountancy institute world.
'Bob and his team have made sure that CIPFA graduates develop the skills that earn high respect in the public sector and beyond.'
Paul Aristides, student registrations manager
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