A government institution can have excellent policies on paper and still lose public trust — because no one is checking whether those policies are actually being followed. That gap is exactly what internal audit exists to close, and it is the starting point of the Professional Programme in Internal Audit Standards for the Public Sector, delivered by the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy.

Participants move through how internal auditing works in a government context specifically — from identifying and evaluating risk, through applying international audit standards, to producing reports and recommendations that institutions can actually act on. The programme is built for anyone who needs their institution's internal audit function to meet the highest standards of transparency and compliance, not just describe them.

Who Should Attend?

• Employees involved in internal auditing within government institutions.
• Staff in financial and internal audit departments.
• Specialists in control systems development and compliance.
• Managers and supervisors seeking to raise the internal audit standard in their institutions.

What You Will Be Able to Do:

• Identify, classify, and evaluate the risks facing financial and control systems in government operations.
• Apply international internal auditing standards (IIA) in a way suited to the public sector's specific needs.
• Conduct comprehensive audits of financial and administrative systems using the right tools and technologies.
• Apply performance evaluation and quality-assurance standards to strengthen audit effectiveness.
• Write accurate technical audit reports and present practical, actionable recommendations.
• Document and maintain audit records securely for easy access and verification.

Module 1: Where Government Audits Go Wrong — Identifying and Evaluating Risk

• Classifying the risks that can affect government operations.
• Methods for identifying risks tied to financial and operational systems, and the tools used to analyse them.
• Risk-assessment strategies and how risk levels shape audit outcomes and control effectiveness.

Module 2: What Internal Audit Is Really For

• The concept and primary goals of internal auditing, and how it differs from external audit in government.
• Internal audit's strategic role in improving efficiency and compliance.
• Its impact on institutional transparency, legal compliance, and combating corruption.

Module 3: Working to International Standards and Overcoming Sector-Specific Challenges

• Key international standards for internal auditing (IIA) and their role in ensuring quality.
• Applying these standards in ways suited to the public sector's specific needs.
• Main challenges facing government audit teams, and strategies for managing resistance and building cooperation between departments.

Module 4: Auditing Financial and Administrative Systems in Practice

• Standard procedures for comprehensive audits of financial and administrative systems.
• Tools for analysing government financial and administrative operations, and identifying system gaps.
• Monitoring financial controls over government revenue and expenditure, and using modern audit software.

Module 5: Measuring and Assuring Audit Quality

• Best practices for evaluating the actual performance of internal audit operations.
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) and continuous quality-improvement strategies.
• Applying global quality standards and identifying success indicators specific to government audit teams.

Module 6: Reporting Findings and Driving Recommendations Forward

• Developing comprehensive, accurate audit reports with supporting evidence.
• Professional report-writing techniques focused on precision and clarity.
• Presenting practical recommendations and encouraging their implementation inside government institutions.

Module 7: Documenting and Safeguarding the Audit Trail

• The importance of organised, proper documentation of audit results.
• Tools and techniques for securely maintaining audit records.
• Managing the audit archive for easy access and verification when needed.