Ernst & Young won’t even consider degrees for grad schemes

Prestigious accountancy firm Ernst & Young have said new recruits don’t need a 2:1. 

They now say you don’t need three Bs at A-level.

Ernst & Young even hire 200 young people a year who have not been to university – 10 per cent of their intake every year.

In an attempt to diversify their workforce, one of Britain’s biggest accountancy firms will create a level playing field.

Every applicant will now sit the same online test – meaning they won’t even look at your uni degree.

While you still have to disclose your qualifications, the interviewers don’t see it until the third round – after the online test and a blind interview.

Maybe you don’t need that degree after all

Maggie Stilwell, a partner at Ernst & Young, told The Times that degree performance does not necessarily indicate future success.

She said: “Our own internal research of over 400 graduates found that screening students based on academic performance alone was too blunt an approach to recruitment.

“It found no evidence to conclude that previous success in higher education correlated with future success in subsequent professional qualifications. Instead the research shows that there are positive correlations between certain strengths and success in future professional qualifications.”

The firms hires almost 2,000 young people a year for their trainee programme where salaries can start at up to £31,000 per year.

Only four per cent of partners at the firm come from ethnic minorities, and fewer than one in five are women.

Stilwell said: “Transforming our recruitment process will open up opportunities for talented individuals regardless of their background.”