Business and finance adviser Grant Thornton has welcomed a record number of trainees to its Birmingham office.
Twenty young people, including seven school-leavers who took part in last year’s summer internship, have joined Grant Thornton.
The school-leavers and graduates will begin working towards professional qualifications across Grant Thornton’s audit, tax and advisory services.
As well as developing the trainees’ technical expertise, the programme includes personal development through team working, communication and presentation skills.
David Hillan, practice leader at Grant Thornton in Birmingham, said: “Professional firm training programmes are incredibly competitive. These 20 individuals have each shown us that they have what it takes to succeed and should feel very proud of being chosen.
“But it’s not about academic prowess. Two years ago, Grant Thornton took a pioneering approach to its search for talent and began to assess candidates for attitude as well as aptitude, taking into account leadership potential, cultural fit, initiative, work experience and impact made on others.
“We considered the type of skills we needed to take the firm into the future and are now working with schools and universities we’ve never previously accessed, securing talent which traditionally we wouldn’t have tapped into.
“We’ve made some fantastic progress and are pleased to see that the new generation of our people come from more diverse backgrounds, bringing a wide range of views and talents to the firm and better reflecting the clients we work alongside.”
