The firm is investing in its recruitment processes to improve accessibility and reach more diverse candidates.
- EY has hired 40 graduates and 8 apprentices across its Cambridge and Luton offices through its student programmes
- Appointments are part of larger national investment in young talent, with a record 1,473 students recruited in 2022 – an increase of 35% on 2021
- Almost 40% of EY’s student recruits this year will be based outside of London in EY’s regional offices
- Over the last three years, EY has increased its student intake year on year and hired more than 3,600 student
- The firm is investing in its recruitment processes to improve accessibility and reach more diverse candidates
This year’s student cohort included 1,269 graduates and 204 apprentices. Almost 40% will be based in EY’s regional offices, with Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, and Reading all seeing large intakes as the firm continues to strengthen its regional presence. 48 students have joined EY’s Cambridge and Luton offices, 40 of which are graduates, with a further 8 apprentices. Of the new student hires, 29% in Cambridge and 33% in Luton are women, while 21% in Cambridge and 33% in Luton are from an ethnic minority background.
Additionally, EY provided work experience, summer internship and industrial placements to over 470 young people nationally. These programmes are designed to provide insights into EY, learning experiences and networking opportunities.
Hywel Ball, EY’s UK Chair, commented: “These are record numbers for EY as we continue to invest in young talent to support our growth across the UK. We’re continuing to see strong levels of client demand and continued investment across the firm, which is why we’ve increased our student intake year on year, over the last three years, and hired more than 3,600 students.
“This is an important talent pool for EY that we want to nurture and support as they begin their careers. It’s also why for a third year running, we honoured all conditional offers we made prior to A-Level and Highers results in recognition that many students had their studies disrupted during the course of the pandemic.
“Over the coming months, our new students will spend time getting to know their colleagues across EY, begin their training and start working with clients.”
Stuart Wilkinson, EY’s Managing Partner for the East of England, added: “Our commitment to recruiting new talent demonstrates the strength of our business and the opportunities available across the region. I’m pleased to welcome this new cohort of students who will be working across our business areas and look forward to seeing their careers grow and flourish at EY.”
Attracting diverse talent
EY has also invested in new technologies and processes to help simplify the application process for its student recruitment programme, making it more transparent and accessible. These changes are designed to improve accessibility and remove unnecessary recruitment barriers to ensure the profession is open to students from all diverse backgrounds.
The new simplified application process means candidates can now complete applications in one go, rather than in several sittings, and they can expect hiring decisions much quicker than ever before. The process focuses on candidates’ potential, ensuring strengths are assessed.
The firm is also creating a virtual career centre to provide candidates, parents and teachers with resources to support early career decisions.
EY is also using digital technology to engage and attract candidates alongside in-person events at schools, colleges and universities. The firm uses virtual reality job simulations at career fairs so people can experience what it’s like to work for EY. There is also a first of its kind virtual reality internship for its tech consulting business, which is a combination of in-person, remote and virtual reality work. Using purpose-built virtual environments, interns can learn about sustainability and gain a realistic preview of the job.
The firm is known for leading innovative ways to attract new people. In 2015, EY completely removed the 2:1 entry academic criteria for all graduate roles.
EY is committed to becoming an employer of choice for young people and is collaborating with Jack Parsons, CEO of The Youth Group, to achieve Youth Verified status. The Youth Group is focused on helping young people thrive and its industry-leading accreditation is building trust between young people and employers.
Justine Campbell, EY’s Managing Partner for Talent in the UK, says: “Young talent is essential to our future business growth. We are consistently improving accessibility through a range of entry routes to attract and retain the UK’s best and diverse talent. We were the first of the Big Four to remove the 2:1 academic criteria for all graduate roles in 2015, and our recruitment processes have evolved and continue to be market-leading.
“We’re excited to return to on-campus events as it’s an important touchpoint for us to meet and engage with potential student recruits. Over the next two weeks, we will be visiting 35 campuses across the UK in person and virtually, where our people will be talking about EY and offering virtual reality simulations, where potential candidates can experience what it’s like to work for us, alongside giveaways and fireside chats. We really value our time on campus to showcase our brand and get feedback from students.”
Image: Stuart Wilkinson