Careers made in Cardiff

Our Cardiff Delivery Centre traditionally hired experienced staff into its teams – 700+ people working on quality and risk assessment, due diligence, business intelligence, analytics, compliance, tax, engagement support and more.

But the local management team recognised a big lack of opportunity for school leavers and young people in the local area. What if they could come up with something that would benefit both the firm and the community? Well, they did. Three apprentices based in Cardiff share their story of learning while earning.

The A team

The Cardiff Apprenticeship Scheme was born in 2015 to give our business the opportunity to attract local young people from different backgrounds who could add value, while building exciting careers.

To date, 70 apprentices have been able to earn a salary while gaining vital skills and qualifications for a professional services career. They’re enthusiastic, capable and bring a fresh approach into the business, helping us improve quality, service delivery and client experience. Fun fact: last year we hired the first individuals born in the year 2000 (don’t worry, we feel old too!).

It’s a solid career start too. Successful apprentices are guaranteed a permanent job in their area of work. And guess what – there’s a 100 per cent pass rate so far.

Born in Cardiff

Georgia Pitman was part of the first intake of apprentices. “University was one of the only options made available while I was doing my A-levels, but it wasn’t for me and I started searching for other options. I came across the apprenticeship on a job search site, and it was exactly what I was interested in doing.”

“I am treated like an adult and given just as much responsibility as anyone else in the team, whether they are graduates or experienced hires. I have gained a great deal of experience and invaluable skills that I know I’ll take with me through the rest of my working life,” says Jess Popkin, who joined us in March 2017.

It’s a win-win

Where are they now? Georgia has been promoted to a more senior level after completing the programme, and both Jess and Nick are joining our Higher Apprenticeship BrightStart Programme in September 2018.

We’re very proud the Cardiff Apprenticeship Scheme has given confidence and opportunity to young people. It’s also helped to reshape our approach to recruitment, moving from traditional competency-based processes to strength-based selection events and blind recruitment.

We can’t wait to see what our apprentices go on to achieve and look forward to welcoming many more to our offices.