Six lucky school leavers taken on by PwC
The consulting firm PwC has chosen six new apprentices out of 153 applicants to join their team and train as management consultants. After completing a two year Higher Apprenticeship, the six successful applicants can progress on to the graduate scheme with the aim to secure full time employment afterwards. PwC claim they have taken this route in an attempt to “ensure that [they] are recruiting from the most diverse pool of talent as possible.” By offering this opportunity to a wide range of young people and not just those with a degree, the company can take on enthusiastic school leavers at low cost and mould them into valuable members of the team.
Despite this new apprenticeship scheme, PwC assures that graduates fresh from university will not be left out of the loop. The figures support this statement, with a total of 242 consulting positions available for graduates compared to the 6 reserved for school leavers or those lacking qualifications. Ms Caplan, PwC’s engagement partner for the Professional Services Higher Apprenticeships (PSHA), discussed the reasons behind hiring apprentices,“We are always looking for people who are creative, entrepreneurial and have different backgrounds and ideas, and to do that, you have to look at where you are going to get different people from.”
One successful applicant is eighteen year old Ryan Bright, who despite gaining a place at Birmingham University, decided against further education after viewing the apprenticeship vacancy on the PwC website. Another success story, John Baker, suggests that the apprentices have gained an advantage over graduates, “There’s a risk in going to university, isn’t there?” He says. “You can get a good degree and still not get a job.”