KPMG cuts through complexity for young recruits : Programs attract talent from a wide range of backgrounds

Purpose – Describe how KPMG in the UK has expanded its school-leaver and apprenticeship schemes to give more young people the chance to experience working life in the areas of auditing, taxation and business advice. Design/methodology/approach – Explains the reasons for the programs, the form they take and the successes they are achieving. Findings – Rreveals that KPMG welcomed 71 school-leavers on to its 12-month paid work-experience program last year, increasing the intake from 25 candidates the year before. The company also welcomed 32 new apprentices to its business-support academy scheme, following a successful pilot involving seven apprentices the previous year. Practical implications – Describes how the Star program offers talented school-leavers who have just completed their A-levels or equivalent the opportunity to gain 12 months of paid work experience, while the apprenticeship program offers 16- to 24-year-old apprentices the opportunity to spend 13 months working in various functions across the firm. Apprentices obtain first-hand work experience and exposure to the business while completing a National Vocational Qualification (advanced tier 3) in business and administration through the firm’s training partner, BPP Training. Social implications – Explains that the drive to recruit trainees into KPMG is part of its long-term recruitment strategy to attract talented people from every walk of life. Originality/value – Points out how KPM’s programs are helping young people to fulfill their potential and succeed in a company that they would not necessarily have had the opportunity to join through conventional means.