360 Apprentice Review

As part of the 360 rotational programme, I am currently within the National Markets Indirect tax department, working with a range of large clients within retail, healthcare, construction and many more spanning the public and private sectors. My role includes drafting VAT advice for clients and assisting clients with a range of VAT matters.

I have definitely learned many new skills, both technical and soft skills which are transferrable throughout my rotations as a 360 apprentice. I have learned how to network effectively, how to adapt my communication style and I have had the opportunity to present both internally and externally and volunteer to support students looking to enter an apprentice. I have also developed my confidence in industry due to the networks and support at KPMG.

I thoroughly enjoy the 360 programme! It allows school leavers who want the balance of entering industry, work in the firm day-to-day whilst completing accountancy exams to gain a comprehensive insight into the diverse teams that work to assist clients in the financial services sector, as the programme is rotational (hence 360!) As the programme allows you to choose which departments you wish to rotate into, you are able to gain a broad range of experience and find what YOU enjoy the most - I could not reccomend the scheme more!

The communication from the apprenticeship management team is generally clear. The programme structure itself is very good, we have 6-9 month rotation periods which allows us enough time to gain a good insight in different placements. We also have study leave periods for us to manage an study for our exams that the business allow us to sit in order to gain our AAT accountacy qualifications.

You are given a great balance of independance and responsilibity to demonstrate and develop your knowledge and skill as well as a brilliant support network of peers and senior colleages. KPMG's people oriented culture is why it makes it such a brilliant place for an apprentice to work, learn and grow. Especially throughout the pandemic, because of the internal suppport recieved I was able t otransition to a new team very smoothly and still learn and feel sully supported whilst not physically being in the office with my team.

Our training provider is very supportive wth regards to tuition and availability to answer any questions we have. Our BPP tutors povide high quality teaching for the AAT modules we study. As tution transitioned fully online during the COVID pandemic, it was still very easy to get hold of tutors for support and the teaching delivered both live and recorded via the online portal is very good.

I beleive the Level 3 AAT qualification has helped me as a school leaver to establish the basics in accountancy and the corporate responsibilities of working in practice, not only techincal skill but also ethics wise. I am now working towards the AAT Level 4 qualification which builds both audit and tax skills required to use in our placements. It also opened my eyes to many concepts I had not yet come across in everyday life, but have a crucial importance to clients.

Yes - there are meny networks, activities and volunteering opportunities to get involved with. There are book clubs, religious and cultural networks and also corporate social events to attend. There are many volunteering opportunities and fund rasing events that KPMG get involved with with our charity partner NSPCC. My only thought is that it would be good to see more networks centered towards apprentices as peer networking can be limited at times especially for apprentices in regional offices as very few apprentices are based in smaller regional officies.

Yes

Great work life balance. Opportunities to gain industry experience in a Big 4 firm as a school leaver - this will open many doors in the future if you decide to change direction in finance it is a great firm to have on your CV. People centric culture is the best part of KPMG, everyone you meet at all grades care about supporting each other and developmement as a team. Very good salary. Studying towards widely recognised professional qualifications.

Be yourself! KPMG do not expect school leavers to have any understanding on accountancy and the industry, just bring your whole self to the interview and approach the application process with an open mind. KPMG look for creative, critical thinkers who demonstrate motivation. They mainly want to know how they can support you and whether your aspirations and personal values align with that of the business. I would reccommend taking some time to look at the KPMG Values and thinking about how they apply to you and how you demonstrate them in everyday life.