The Institute of Company Secretaries of India offers a secretarial executive certificate – ICSI as per regulation 28A & 28B under chapter IVA. Providing service to the Corporates and practising Company secretaries and arranging a practical learning experience for the students is the objective behind this certificate. After completing an executive level, the students get an executive certificate, get a chartered secretary journal and can renew the certificate after one calendar year. This blog wants to showcase the eligibility, validity, client experience, and versatility needed for a secretarial executive. Read regularly posted specific blogs of RR Academy to know How to become a Company secretary and all about Company secretary.
Eligibility:
The following two categories of students are eligible to apply for this certificate:
• Students who have passed the executive program with an aggregate of fifty per cent and forty per cent in each paper are eligible to apply for this certificate.
• Other programs mentioned by the council as equivalent can apply for this certificate before starting the professional program.
Validity:
Through the portal of ICSI, students can apply for this certificate. The web link of https://stimulate.icsi.edu/ has to be used to send the application for this certificate. The students are allowed to renew the certificate for two years after receiving the certificate. The validity is for one year, and the renewal fee after one year is 1000/-. The mark sheet and the exemption certificates are the documents to be attached along with the application.
Value of executive certificate among corporates:
The semi-qualified executives have been trained in the consultancy and administration role in the Companies. The experience they acquire through client communication, application of knowledge, solving disputes, maintaining documents, and arranging meetings help to understand the advanced level subjects in the professional course. Listed Companies appoint Company secretaries for a salary. And they appoint executive passed students with a stipend. They enjoy all the perks of the employees and also get sick leave. ICSI exams allow the students to give ten attempts, and after that, they need to renew the exam registration. The corporate sector finds it fair if the student has taken three attempts to clear the executive and professional level examinations.
Value of executive certificate among practising Company secretaries:
As per amendment 2020, the article ship training period for a Company secretary is 21 months. CS secretarial executives would prefer to do their article ship training in practising Company secretary firm as it educates them about incorporation procedure, client requirement, and corporate governance advice. By joining the practising company secretary firm, the student fulfils the objectivity of completing article ship training. If the secretarial executive is new to the working environment, he works as a team member. He works as a team leader and trains the new students after gaining experience. After completing 21 months of service in the desired role, he receives an article ship completion certificate. After completing the professional-level examination, the article ship completion certificate with the financial statement of the audit firm has to be sent to the institute. The ICSI issues the membership certificate after rechecking the education and experience.
Versatility in Company secretary job:
• Company secretaries need to maintain the meaning of regulatory frameworks and apply the amendments then and there in corporate governance.
• Arrange for the software-based board meetings and performance evaluation.
• Company secretaries need to balance the business challenges and changes with the regulatory frameworks with the application of knowledge.
• Handling Mergers and acquisitions as per the restructuring policy is the challenging task of Company secretaries. The newbies need to understand the risk and losses associated with mergers and acquisitions. So, they understand the way to react with the same.
• Quality corporate governance help for an increase in EBITDA, geographical expansion of products, incorporate e-commerce in different industries and also help for talent management.
• Companies with 10 crores or more of paid-up share capital are required to upload Form 22A regarding secretarial audit for validating the address of the Company.
• Small Companies with less capital finds it difficult to appoint Company secretaries to upload Form 22A. So, Companies with mentioned share Capital need to get help from the Company Secretary for the registration. The demand for Company secretaries spiked recently due to the measures with corporate governance.
• The Company secretaries need to certify the e-forms that are submitted to the registrar for incorporation.
Final words:
For gaining versatility in different processes of corporate governance, knowledge and experience are very much needed. The corporate environment educates the fast pace of MNC Companies and listed Companies. The experience with the practising Company secretary firm helps the aspirants to understand the small details in the amendments and ways to process the amendments with the regulatory frameworks. The legal framework in the corporate management falls under Company secretaries ACT, 1980 and The Company Secretaries Regulations, 1982.
The professional misconduct is explained in the Schedules of the ACT. The misconduct laws apply as follows: Practicing Company secretary with a part I of the first schedule, institute members in service with part II of the first schedule, general members of the institute with part III of the first schedule, and other generally misconduct of the members with part IV of the first schedule. Versatility reduces misconduct behaviour in the profession. This skill ultimately promotes professionalism in the career. Experience and perception of the job environment improve professionalism in the Company secretary profession.