Partner Article

Accountants add extra places for apprentices

The Manchester office of professional services firm PwC has increased the number of higher apprenticeships it will offer this year.

It has recruited an extra five to the scheme, taking the total number starting in the autumn to ten. The extra places are in response to demand from school leavers for the scheme as well as within the firm due to business growth.

The apprentices hired will be placed across services including compliance, tax, financial advisory, pensions, public services and human resource services.

This year the firm has received record levels of interest for its graduate roles with applications more than tripling since the start of the financial crisis in 2008.

In its consulting practice alone, PwC received 37 applications for each vacancy, representing a 39% rise in applications to the consulting graduate schemes since last year, and a 600% increase since 2008.

To meet growing demand from students, PwC has also tripled the number of degree programmes it sponsors with the ICAEW, the accountancy industry’s qualification body, increasing the number of potential recruits from the programme to almost 150 per year.

Since its launch in 2001 at Newcastle University Business School, it has had an almost 100% employment record and received over 4,500 application for around 600 places.

Across all student programmes, the firm received almost 36,000 applications for more than 1,700 places, split by 1,100 graduate, 120 school leaver and almost 500 paid internship opportunities, which includes female partner shadowing and work placements.

Gaenor Bagley, head of people at PwC, said: “Although routes into work and training have evolved over the past five years, the high levels of interest we’re seeing in graduate employment show that there has not been a wholesale shift away from traditional routes into the world of work.

“If anything the recession has meant the best and brightest have even more options now than before. The industry needs a strong pipeline of talent to achieve the growth rates predicted for this sector, and I’ve no doubt that PwC’s investment, throughout the downturn, is paying off and will positively impact our firm’s growth plans.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .