Students from Northumbria University Business Clinic have
gained invaluable work experience with a leading global professional services
firm, helping them to attract a new cohort of young, local apprentices in
Newcastle.
EY welcomed the students as part of a long-standing collaboration,
giving them the opportunity to build experience of working in a professional
working environment. The students were challenged to come up with ideas around
how to boost the number of young, local applicants from the North East to EY’s
degree apprenticeship programmes in Newcastle.
EY’s consulting division delivers projects for clients in the
financial services sector across various areas including anti-money laundering,
conduct risk, transformation and cybersecurity, and currently offers two degree
apprenticeship programmes in business leadership and management practice, and
digital and technology solutions.
The students were also challenged to devise strategies to
help increase the volume of female applicants to the digital degree programme.
Zuzana Zoubkova led the student project team, which also included
Tomas Homola, Paulina Sudomir and Thomas Houmark.
Zuzana, who is studying for a master’s degree in business analytics
at Northumbria University, 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 recommendations included updates to the EY website to
inform and educate prospective degree apprenticeship applicants and an
incentivised EY employee referral scheme where staff could share their insights
and experiences of the company with their network of contacts.
Another idea tabled was a virtual job simulation – a two-three-hour,
self-paced online programme designed to provide candidates with a realistic
preview of the digital and technology solutions degree apprenticeship. As part
of this, participants would be supported by guidance from current apprentices
and managers to engage in practical tasks to increase their confidence, hone
their problem-solving skills and boost their understanding of EY’s work
environment and culture.
The students encouraged EY to promote the apprenticeships
more extensively on social media channels and via advertisements at Metro
stations and other key city centre sites. To support EY’s social mobility
agenda, they also suggested targeting potential applicants by developing
relationships with schools from deprived areas and a non-governmental
organisation that supports local disadvantaged youths.
Another idea was an insight day that would allow successful
individuals to experience the EY workplace environment, and participate in
employability workshops to enhance their skills and gain a deeper understanding
of the degree apprenticeships and career progression options.
Zuzana said: “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, 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.
“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.”
Students work at the Business Clinic in their final year of
study, offering clients a full consultancy experience that encompasses
activities as diverse as feasibility studies including finance, investment and
growth; HR including recruitment, retention and diversity; marketing including
branding and digital; business analytics; logistics and supply chain
management. The aim of each project is to undertake research and make
recommendations that will benefit organisations in the short and long term.
Rebecca Dutson, acting director at the 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.”
The
Business Clinic has delivered 870 consultancy projects involving more than
3,500 students across all business subjects since it was founded in 2013. It offers pro-bono consultancy support to SMEs, multi-national organisations,
charitable organisations, educational trusts and social enterprises that
operate across a wide range of sectors, both in the North East of England as
well as further afield in the UK and overseas.
