The workshop was delivered by experts from finance ministries of the Netherlands and Slovenia, who told us about audit planning, risk assessment and analysis. We also looked at case studies about selected countries. I shared our financial audit experience with other participants and made new contacts.

What was especially relevant for me was the two commonly used statistical sampling methods: random and monetary sampling. I had been using the random sampling method before, but monetary sampling was a new method for me. So, this learning initiative refreshed my knowledge of various financial audit issues and provided new information, which has proved to be useful in my daily work.

In 2016, I attended the CEF’s workshop on IT Auditing that addressed the basic principles and methodology of IT audits in detail. International experts told us about the experiences of their countries in implementing IT audits. In addition, we had to team up to work on case studies.  

I obtained a lot of useful information and broadened my knowledge of internal auditing in broader terms, not only in the field of IT. For example, I became more effective in recognizing application controls, which are embedded in business procedures, like procurement and revenue, and IT general control support requirements. Another benefit of the workshop was talking to participants from other countries and I still stay in touch with some of them to share experience. 

I hope to attend also future workshops on internal auditing at the CEF, and I appreciate the support and guidance of the CEF team, in particular Kaja and Ivana. 

Ande Gjurchinovski
Advisor – Internal Auditor
Internal Audit Department
Ministry of Finance, Macedonia