360 Apprentice Review

In the KPMG360 programme you are involved with a range of tasks whilst rotating within the different areas of the business. You often find yourself in positions facing and engaging with clients as well as interacting with your teams within the firm. Responsibilities can include organising meetings, agreeing bank reconciliations and being there for assistance to any suitable work that can be assigned to us. Whilst completing the apprenticeship, college work and client work is combined.

During the apprenticeship you study for your AAT Level 3 and 4 qualifications as well as the ACCA qualification for the latter half of the duration. As well as studying externally with BPP, KPMG also offer lots and lots of training internally relating to internal sites and more client specific work which is very helpful and can easy be applied daily.

I have really enjoyed the programme so far because I find it such a great alternative to university. I felt like I was ready to enter the workplace immediately after school and the 360 programme has allowed me to do this. Everyone at KPMG and in my team are really nice to work with and are very helpful for when I have queries about work. They are understanding of the fact we are learning as well as working. This apprenticeship has exceeded my expectations as the time has flown by and I have met so many new people which I never expected to do to this extent.

As relatively new employees we get valued every bit the same as everyone else. Everyone else is so understanding that we are both learning and working and especially those more senior than us are happy to take longer explaining something to allow us to gather a better understanding over a task. On client engagements you are kept busy and are valued as part of the team and this is really good to feel.

The programme as a whole is really well structured. The induction was a great chance to network and meet new people in other offices as well as our own. Training for exams are well separated throughout the year and alternate with internal training so there is never more than one happening at a certain time. In terms of delegation, it is also well structured. We are always kept busy with a variety of things and if it was necessary to ask for work then work is soon given to us.

There is a lot of support available from BPP. As well as the college time you receive first hand there is on online portal with all content, steps to complete as revision and also there are mock BPP and AAT papers online. We also get given books full of questions and detailed course notes so this is also very helpful. In terms of further help with revision BPP host a session online with a tutor to answer any questions or queries over questions over any platform or resource. Also questions can also get answered by emailing tutors and responses are quick.

Support is always available at KPMG. We are taught that there is no silly question to ask and as long as you're prepared to go by this logic then the prospects of help are endless. Since joining KPMG I've received help from my people or teams including my buddy, HR, IT and my in-charge. The support is accessible if your are prepared to ask for it.

Having just come out of school and being put on a competitive salary considering our qualifications is superb. My salary covers travel costs on the train, living costs, savings and I also have enough to be able to spend freely without feeling the need to save more. I look at myself compared to my friends at university and I feel good to be in my shoes.

So far at my time at KPMG I have been invited to numerous events including a Christmas Party and office drinks. We also have 2 days allowance for voluntary work to reinvest in the local community being a KPMG employee which is good to have. I haven't yet uncovered any sporting clubs yet but I am pursuing trying to find someone to help with that.

Yes

If one of my friends were looking down the route of finding an alternative to university then I definitely would recommend KPMG especially if they didn't know what they wanted to specialise in initially. The 360 programme allows you to move around each area without feeling the pressure to specialise until you can reach a sensible and important decision. Also my colleagues at KPMG have been so helpful and welcoming and this would be why I would recommend KPMG as well.

Be very organised when applying for the programme (I applied in October when they opened) and do your research because it always helps to know your stuff when in an interview or during an application form. Just be knowledgeable about the process and what you should be expecting. Since I got accepted onto the programme in December where was a significant length of time whereby I didn't hear from KPMG and this was concerning so maybe an email to keep me in the loop would've been both helpful and reassuring at the same time.