Business, Commerce and Management Studies Generic Management

Financial Management for Unit Managers Training

SAQA US 252040 | NQF 5 | Credits 8 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips unit managers with the financial skills necessary to effectively manage the finances of a unit. Learners will gain the competence to interpret financial statements, prepare budgets, monitor expenditure, and apply financial controls in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply principles of financial management to ensure effective control of unit finances.
  • Analyse financial statements to evaluate the financial performance of a unit.
  • Prepare and present a budget for a unit based on operational requirements.
  • Monitor actual expenditure against budget and implement corrective actions.
  • Demonstrate understanding of internal financial controls and their application.
  • Evaluate financial decisions and their impact on the unit's objectives.

Target Audience

This course is designed for unit managers, team leaders, and supervisors in any sector who are responsible for managing the finances of their unit or department.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Financial Management and Budgeting Basics

Objectives:
• Understand the role of financial management in unit management.
• Identify key financial concepts and terminology.
• Explain the purpose and types of budgets.
• Describe the budgeting process in a unit context.

Topics:
• Overview of financial management for unit managers
• Key financial terms: revenue, expenses, profit, cash flow
• Importance of financial accountability
• Types of budgets: operational, capital, cash flow
• Steps in the budgeting process
• Roles and responsibilities in budgeting
• Introduction to financial policies and procedures
• Ethical considerations in financial management

Day 2: Budget Preparation and Planning

Objectives:
• Prepare a unit budget using historical data and forecasts.
• Identify and categorise different types of costs.
• Apply zero-based and incremental budgeting techniques.
• Analyse budget assumptions and their impact.

Topics:
• Cost classification: fixed, variable, direct, indirect
• Historical data analysis for budget preparation
• Zero-based budgeting vs incremental budgeting
• Developing budget assumptions
• Allocating resources effectively
• Budget templates and tools
• Involving team members in budget planning
• Documenting the budget proposal

Day 3: Monitoring and Controlling Expenditure

Objectives:
• Monitor actual expenditure against budget.
• Identify and analyse budget variances.
• Implement corrective actions to control costs.
• Use financial reports to track performance.

Topics:
• Variance analysis: favourable vs unfavourable
• Reporting actual vs budgeted figures
• Tools for monitoring expenditure: spreadsheets, software
• Cost control techniques
• Authorisation and approval processes
• Managing unexpected expenses
• Communicating financial performance to stakeholders
• Continuous improvement in cost management

Day 4: Financial Reporting and Analysis

Objectives:
• Interpret key financial statements: income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement.
• Calculate and analyse financial ratios.
• Prepare financial reports for unit management.
• Use financial data to support decision-making.

Topics:
• Understanding the income statement
• Understanding the balance sheet
• Understanding the cash flow statement
• Key financial ratios: profitability, liquidity, efficiency
• Trend analysis and benchmarking
• Preparing management reports
• Presenting financial information effectively
• Using financial analysis to improve unit performance

Day 5: Strategic Financial Management and Integration

Objectives:
• Integrate financial management with overall unit strategy.
• Develop action plans for financial improvement.
• Evaluate investment opportunities and cost-benefit analysis.
• Apply ethical principles in financial decision-making.

Topics:
• Linking financial management to strategic goals
• Capital budgeting and investment appraisal
• Cost-benefit analysis techniques
• Risk management in financial planning
• Ethical dilemmas in financial management
• Developing a financial improvement plan
• Review of course learning and application
• Assessment and certification requirements

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Fri 23 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Fri 19 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Fri 23 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Fri 22 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Fri 21 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 498 sessions across 26 venues
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Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,863 Register
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Cape Town, South Africa Winter 2026 $3,078 Register
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Mauritius Winter 2026 $3,834 Register
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Johannesburg, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,592 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Fri 30 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 18 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 22 Feb 2027 Fri 26 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Fri 26 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 26 Jul 2027 Fri 30 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 25 Oct 2027 Fri 29 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 24 Jan 2028 Fri 28 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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