Marvin OnumonuStudents from Northumbria University’s Business Clinic gained work experience with EY in Newcastle, helping to boost recruitment for apprenticeships.
EY welcomed the students as part of a long-standing partnership, giving them experience in a professional setting.
The team was tasked with finding ways to increase the number of young, local applicants to EY’s degree apprenticeship programmes in the North East.
The students also looked at how to increase female applicants to the digital apprenticeship.
Zuzana Zoubkova led the student team, which also included Tomas Homola, Paulina Sudomir and Thomas Houmark.
Zoubkova said: “We started by conducting a thorough internal and external review of EY, its competitors and the financial services landscape.
“We looked at the company’s strengths and challenges and examined North East-based competitors that offered similar training programmes.
“From there, we carried out primary research by talking to individuals about how they explore career opportunities and what keeps them engaged in the application process.
“These insights shaped our final recommendations.”
The team recommended updates to the EY website to better inform potential applicants, and suggested an employee referral scheme to help staff share their experiences.
They proposed a virtual job simulation, a 2 to 3-hour online programme with support from current apprentices and managers.
This would give candidates practical experience and insight into EY’s work culture, according to the team.
Additionally, the students advised EY to increase its presence on social media and advertise in Metro stations and city centre locations.
They also suggested working with schools in deprived areas and a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) to reach disadvantaged young people.
Another idea was an insight day to give successful applicants a look at the workplace and take part in employability workshops.
Zoubkova added: “Our recommended strategy aimed to help EY attract more young, local talent in North East England, with a particular focus on raising awareness of the apprenticeship programmes and highlighting them as an alternative to the traditional university pathway or full-time employment.
“We also engaged with students from challenging socio-economic backgrounds to encourage them to apply and help support social mobility in the region.”
Harry Hawes, director at EY, said: “This project gave students from Northumbria University the chance to gain real-world work experience with EY and deepen their understanding of our business and the sectors within which we operate.
“At the same time, it also provided us with a fresh perspective on one of our recruitment goals from people who were at a similar age and stage of their career journeys to those we’re looking to attract.
“The students came up with a number of thought-provoking ideas and theories, some of which we have already started to implement.”
Hawes added: “I would recommend the business clinic to other organisations.
“They provide a different perspective when exploring business challenges, as well as using these alternate views to inform a more robust and effective solution.
“We look forward to hopefully collaborating with and supporting the business clinic again in the future.”
Rebecca Dutson, acting director at Northumbria University’s Business Clinic, said: “The students applied themselves impressively on this project with one of the region’s major employers.
“Their innovation, dedication and problem-solving skills were highlighted in abundance and feedback from the EY team was extremely positive.
“The project showcased what we’re all about here at the business clinic; we give students the chance to drive forward live projects that give them valuable experience and provide tangible benefits to the organisations they work with.”
