KPMG 360 Apprentice Review

On my apprenticeship (KPMG 360 programme) I rotate through departments at set intervals, I have the most experience in audit. For when I had a placement within audit my job title was an audit associate which involves looking into a clients financial statements and making sure what they have stated in the accounts are accurate, for each new job I would usually have a plan given to me detailing what sections of the audit I would look after. This plan will take into consideration any particular pieces of work I am interested on working on and any previous experience I have. This is based on previous conversations with the person making the plan. When I am auditing a client with the team for that client I will given guidance by the assistant manager/manager on how I should set out my work (if any further work is required from previous years etc). I would then need to go out to the client myself and gather information and evidence for me to "test" what is in the financial statements back to client records and make sure the each section (income, expenditure, etc) of the financial statements are accurate. This is just a base level overview, there is much more detail involved with a lot of support and good quality reviews of my work through out each audit.

I am currently working towards an AAT qualification, KPMG has provided me with some great support since day one, there is always someone I can go to with a question/query and get a clear answer, there are multiple training sessions provided, for example I voluntarily attended a training course of our SAP IT system because I wanted to learn more about what I can do with the technology I have. There are also external training available, such as before I attended a session on how to maximise my network to help me maximise the network of people available to me. An external speaker led the event and I found it very useful. One of the main skills I have learnt is to become independent, during work I have responsibilities to make sure my work is of a high standard because other people will be relying on it in the future. On another level I become a much more independent learner since I need to balance a full time job with working towards qualifications, there is support offered by KPMG for everyone on a mass scale but also more independent, face to face support for those who need it most.

Before I joined the programme I moved away from my home city just for the opportunity to be a part of the 360 programme, I wanted it that much. Being here has by far exceed all my expectations, the work I am given is challenging and makes me think whilst also putting what I have learnt when studying towards my qualifications to good use. The culture here is filled with a lot of hard working, honest and supporting people, I have found it a great environment to work with as I can be myself and not have to be this perfect person, there is always someone here to support me if I need it.

During my time at KPMG I have felt like I really mean something and am apart of the team. With a piece of work there is always constructive feedback given so I know where I can improve and what I'm doing well at. After working on a long job the manager will thank me for the hard work I've put in and anytime I've stayed longer than my contracted hours. This hard work is reflected in my performance reviews (interim and final) where I can demonstrate the hard work I've done as reflected by the feedback given to me by the people I have been working for.

Before joining the programme, I was well aware in advance of were I needed to be and what I needed to bring with me, I have a week long induction session going over everything I will need to know over the next 5/6 years of my apprenticeship, this was also given in to me in a paper format for me to look back at if I needed to. As I've stated above there are so many training sessions I can get involved in, whether than be voluntarily or mandatory, with so much support at every stage. I can always go to my managers with any questions, I have a dedicated Professional Qualification Training team (PQT) who offers a range of support if I need it which can include any structured revision that will be helpful for my exams. I have an anonymous phone line I can ring with any problems I am facing, personally or at work. The organisation can be a little difficult at times since I rotate through departments, it's not always easy to know who I should go to for what I need (especially since I'm not the best with names) but whenever I have something that I need help with it does get sorted out.

During each module for my qualification I have a dedicated tutor who I can ask questions. This can be via email if I have a query I want to ask on a more 1 to 1 basis, but there is also a forum I can ask questions in where other people in my class can see what I'm asking and we can all get the answer to. The responses are always within 24 hours and the tutors have a great attitude towards helping people.

As I've mentioned above there is always support available, if I need something that relates to my department I can go to someone within that department. If I have a query regarding my programme I can ask the programme managers can get a quick response. If there's something I need to raise with HR I can go straight to them. There is also personal support available such as if I am having a problem in my person life which is affecting my work I can go to my performance manager. There is always someone I can go to for whatever I need, as above everyone is incredibly supportive.

I live on my own and my salary covers my rent, bills, food costs, travel costs and with enough money to go into my savings and disposable income I can spend on going out with my friends or buy something as a treat for myself.

There are so many events that I can get involved with outside work, these can range from Corporate Social Responsibility to team outings. Mostly I like to go to Back to School events where I can visit local schools and tell people about the opportunities available here. It also gives me a chance to develop my soft skills such as talking in front of a crowd or doing a presentation.

Yes

It provides a platform to learn and develop professional skills whilst also gaining a career. I didn't want to go to university or have the debt along with it, instead I'm getting a salary and some great experience. This is a perfect alternative to university, it is definitely not an inferior route to take.

Make sure you do your research! Know what kind of work we do at KPMG and are prepared for any interviews and assessment centres. One big thing is to be yourself, at KPMG the actual person being considered is definitely a major factor being looked at, not just the grades behind them. When I was going through the recruitment process I had a smart contact allocated to me who I still know today and see around the office, I could go to them with any questions I had which was super useful since they were in my position the year before.