Deloitte has welcomed 63 new recruits to its Manchester and Liverpool offices. They join the business advisory firm as part of a variety of different programmes, among them the graduate scheme, Deloitte Scholars programme, and the Bright Start apprenticeship training.
The firm offered 1,750 places nationwide in 2013. The new starters will be working in departments including corporate tax, audit advisory, global employer services, and entrepreneurial business.
The members of Deloitte’s North West team introduced themselves in the firm’s annual new starter survey, revealing an eclectic mix of talents and hobbies that range from skydiving and stand-up comedy, to amateur boxing and saxophone playing.
Among the new starters are performers that have sung with gospel choirs, at the Palace Theatre, and with S Club 7. 34 per cent speak foreign languages, including French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and Urdu.
Jane Boardman, student recruitment partner at Deloitte in the North West, said: “We’re committed to getting to know each of the new members of our team as individuals and finding out what makes them tick. The new additions to the North West office are not just intelligent and ambitious, but vibrant, creative characters in other areas. The survey gives them a chance to show us that side of themselves before their official introduction to the firm.”
Deloitte’s regional opportunities have increased in recent years, with a 20 per cent rise in positions across the North West and Wales since 2009. As well as providing interesting facts about themselves, the respondents to the survey were asked if they felt that a degree was integral to a role at Deloitte, to which 54 per cent answered no. This new attitude signifies the broadened approach that businesses are taking to recruitment, with employees’ valued skills becoming as important as traditional qualifications.
Other interesting facts about this year’s intake of Deloitte North West were that they had bungee-jumped for charity, completed a rubix cube in 2 minutes, had appeared on TV and can put their legs behind their head. When asked why they had chosen the North West to live and work, the answers offered included ‘arts, ‘culture’, ‘music’ and ‘social life.
