Birmingham Business School welcomes a new cohort of accountancy students this term as part of a prestigious partnership with KPMG’s ground-breaking school leavers’ programme. This offers a complete package of University degree, professional accountancy qualification and relevant work experience.
Under the scheme, students will enter onto a six year programme in which they will gain work experience at KPMG, take a BSc honours degree in Accounting at Birmingham Business School and study for a professional accountancy qualification – all this whilst also receiving a salary of around £20,000 (in London) and having all of their tuition fees and student accommodation paid for by KPMG.
Students who meet the A level entry requirements and successfully apply to do their degree at Birmingham will then study for the ICAS (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland) chartered accountancy qualification.
Professor Andrew Lymer, Head of the Birmingham Business School, said “We are very pleased to launch this new programme with KPMG and ICAS – two of the leading professional organisations in their field worldwide. This new academic year we are welcoming a number of outstanding, high potential students to our successful accounting and finance degree course. This programme has just secured 4th place nationally in student assessment of the quality of similar courses. We think, coupling together our existing high quality programme, these new partners, and the launch this month of our unique new CISI accreditation for undergraduate finance education, this will enable us to rise even further.”
Marianne Fallon, Head of Corporate Affairs at KPMG, said: “The addition of a top-class university like Birmingham to our Audit school leavers scheme is a real boost as we look to widen the scheme to as many talented students as possible. At a time when many young people are finding it difficult to gain employment, this programme represents a credible alternative to mainstream university education and provides an attractive route into employment. We want to widen access into our profession for young people from all backgrounds, and this programme is crucial in helping us achieve that.”
Dr Nick Rowbottom, programme director, said “This innovative programme provides a modern apprenticeship where students gain an undergraduate degree from a respected University whilst learning on the job from experienced colleagues in a world leading professional services firm. As KPMG fund student tuition fees, accommodation costs and employee salaries, the programme provides a route into higher education for students from all backgrounds”.