EY Skills Academy Participant Review

The programme I was involved in was called the EY Skills Academy; this was the first year the programme had to be run. It was 3-day experience in the heart of London, where we got to get a real insight on how big global firms like EY operated on daily basis, develop our business skills and employability, and look at the further options we could take at EY. Throughout the course of the programme, there were various interactive workshops, which ranged from team building and mock interviews to finding our own working style and taking part in the client assignment. All the workshops were tailored to give us a taste of what it would be like to work in such a large company and build our very own career formula.

Yes, I learned: - How to sell myself (tell my story) in 30 seconds - What my working style is, and how I can adapt it to work well with someone who has a different working style - STAR technique for interviews I also developed my presentational skills - so self-confidence and public speaking - as these were lacking at the beginning, but by the end of the programme, I truly emerged as a more confident person.

I thoroughly enjoyed the programme; it was tailored to be both informative and extremely fun. The insight I gained on EY and the way the professional service industry works was undoubtedly invaluable.

EY placed a huge emphasis on everyone individually. They were very interested and invested in our individual success, and how we could enhance and use our skills. It was clear for the way the programme was structured that EY put a lot of time, money and effort in to creating the best experience for us. What struck me in particular, was the mock interviews we all had. The lasted at least 45 mins each and at the end of each interview, we received feedback on areas that was good, and those we could improve on. You could tell EY valued you as person, as they spent time trying to enhance your interview technique that could not only be used when applying for roles at EY, but anywhere that requires an interview.

There was a clear structure to the programme - at all times we knew when and what we would be doing. At the induction to the Skills Academy, the programme across the 3 days was explained. Then in the mornings, the activities for that particular day were explained thoroughly, and the timings were always met. Even our lunch breaks were organised, they used lunch as an opportunity to for us to network with employees and other business people, at what they called "lunch and learn". There was detail in everything!

Each group was assigned a facilitator, who was incredibly helpful during all the group tasks, offering their suggestions and ideas, but also making sure not to just hand us the answers. Also, they often gave words of encouragement and feedback during the different activities throughout the day.

Those who ran the EY Skills Academy programme were extremely accommodating throughout the course of the three days. They were all very open and friendly, making it easy to ask for guidance during the activities, and always took the time to answer any questions we had personally. Some of the employees I met even gave me their email addresses, so that I could email them in the future if I had any questions.

The programme was free - the cost of travel, accommodation, social activities and food was covered by EY.

While the main part of the programme was focused on exploring the business world, EY organised social events in the evenings such as pizza-making and a graffiti workshop, so that we could interact with the other students in a less professional environment, which was incredibly fun! They also introduced us to their other programmes such as the School leavers programme, EY Scholarship and the EY degree, to name a few. They presented us with a wide range of opportunities we could look in to in the future.

Yes

As a student myself, what I noticed when I was on work experience at EY was that they were very student-oriented - that is they offered a range of opportunities for students from as young as year 11 and seemed really invested in their student employees. Being able to gain work experience in such an environment was brilliant. The atmosphere throughout the whole building was lovely, every employee I met at EY (even the ones not involved in the programme) was welcoming. It truly seemed like a fantastic place to work.

During the application process, as the interview stage - research throughly about EY and their industry, what type of services they offer and what their values are. Their website is a great source for this information!