Flying Start 2 (Birmingham) Review

by PwC

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

9/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

Audit and assurance work in their banking and capital markets department. My role involved testing internal controls and substantive testing over a variety of financial statement line items and business processes.

9/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have developed nearly all my professional skills during my placement. In particular I developed my communication skills and my leadership skills, as I took on at more senior role with this being my second placement.

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I enjoy my programme very much. It is both intellectually stimulating and practically challenging. It has allowed me to develop a variety of skills and meet lots of amazing people both within the firm and within industry.

9/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

My programme is extremely well organised. The training provider (university) delivers world class training. In addition, the firm where I complete my placement have a great resourcing team allowing my peers and I to be given appropriate work. We also have a central contact who helps with issues both when we are in university and when we are on placement.

9/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

My employer offer fantastic support. We have lots of different people we can got to for support such as mentors, career coaches, audit managers, relationship managers and HR.

9/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

My training provider provides excellent support. The content of the modules themselves are delivered to a high quality making passing all our exams very achievable. In addition, lecturers are always available for a chat about any issues or queries. Finally the training provider has excellent facilities and services around both physical health and mental health.

9/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

My qualification through my training provider absolutely helps me perform better in my role. For example, the training I gained last year in my Financial Accounting and Reporting module, really helped my understanding of accounting treatment. This has given me a much better understanding of the subject allowing me to understand my work much better.

9/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

Despite Covid-19 and lockdowns, the social committee continued to host events and activities virtually. Myself I attended virtual drinks, gaming such as Among us and a few Christmas parties; which were a lot of fun! In normal circumstances there would also be football and other sporting activities to get involved in.

9/10

9a. Would you recommend PwC to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

Because it is a modern, diverse and intellectually stimulating environment full of intelligent and hardworking people. In addition, the firm provides excellent training and opportunities which are vital to career growth and development.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to PwC?

I would advise others to do their research, prepare well, but most importantly enjoy the process. Take every opportunity you can and have fun doing it, that is the way to make the most out of your PwC experience.