Labour Market Information

The most notable change in the market is the introduction of the Apprenticeship levy by the government to increase the number of apprentices in the UK by 2020. This has meant that employers with a paybill over £3m will pay 0.5% into a levy. This money will then be ring-fenced to be invested into apprenticeship training. This had led to an increase in the number of apprenticeships being offered within the market, varying from level 1-7, offering students the opportunity to gain professional qualifications and degrees depending on the level they are enrolled in.

We have a number of apprenticeships available to students for 2017 start and our 2018 vacancies will open in early July. I'd recommend that candidates research the industry they are interested in and if possible gain some work experience to understand if the role is right for them. Insight days are also great ways to meet current apprentices who will be able to share their experiences and share helpful advice on applying too!

That is very useful feedback - thank you! Just out of interest where do you advertise your apprenticeship vacancies and where are they mainly based?

Hi there, Ey have touched on the levy already and I would say diversity is a key topic in our sector at the moment. We tend to receive more applications from males than females so we're always considering why this might be and how we can encourage more females to consider a career in the professional services and, along with the other employers, we're also really keen on ensuring that our opportunities are accessible to everyone and encouraging social mobility. I'd also recommend insight days and other employer events. There's also lots of competitions at the moment which are run by employers and professional bodies which students can get involved with, which is great for students looking to find out about employers and develop skills along the way!

Looking at the past few years at Grant Thornton our school leaver intake has doubled and our graduate intake as stayed the same. We see the benefits of hiring both school leavers and graduates bringing diversity to our workforce. Having a diverse work force is very important to us and our CEO Sacha Romanovitch is the Chair of the Patron group of Access Accountancy, an ambitious collaboration of employers and professional bodies, dedicated to improving access to the accountancy profession. The group's initiative aims to create a more socially inclusive industry. We have committed to providing work experience to those who might not normally get the access to this type of experience, helping the industry and our aims to have a truly diverse workforce.