“Our profession has a history of attracting bright people from all backgrounds and its one of the few that kept open non-graduate routes when others were closing them,” said Michael Izza, ICAEW’s Chief Executive, during his speech to leaders from education, business and the accountancy profession, at a joint event with Ernst & Young.
“It’s an extremely interesting and challenging time to be embarking on a career as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. There are lots of reasons for this. Compared with 20 years ago when I joined the profession the role of the accountant has diversified, international standards in accounting and auditing are now being adopted across the world and the gap between the number of women and men entering the profession is narrowing fast.
“Historically, many in our profession came from relatively modest backgrounds but with hard work and determination rose to the very top. Up until the late 1960s, less than a quarter of those entering the profession were university educated. This rose significantly alongside the boom in university education, but in recent years we have seen a rise in non-graduate entrants – who now make up 17% of those training with ICAEW.
“But we cannot afford to be complacent. Over the last few years we have opened up new routes into a professional career through apprenticeships, pioneering projects in disadvantaged communities, and by encouraging our member firms to offer a more diverse range of graduate internship opportunities.
“Social mobility is important, not just because of fairness, but because without it we are closing the door to a huge pool of talent. Without it we are also closing the door to young people with the aptitude and the appetite to work hard at the highest levels – the same young people we need to become the business leaders of tomorrow – who are unable to get onto even the first rung of the ladder.
“Better social mobility is crucial, not only to create a fairer society, but also to strengthen this profession and in turn the UK’s economic competitiveness.”
