- ‘Bridge to BDO’ work experience programme aims to reach 3,000 students across the UK by 2029
- The new strategic partnership launches as BDO celebrates its fifth year of insight programmes aimed at widening access to the profession
BDO has committed to a new three-year modernised work experience programme with strategic partner Connectr Early Engagement (CEE), expanding its current work experience offering and supporting its commitment to improving access to the accountancy profession.
Connectr Early Engagement will work in partnership with the accountancy and business advisory firm to deliver ‘Bridge to BDO’, a new face-to-face work experience programme accessed through a series of workshops and insight experiences for students in Years 9, 11, 12 and 13.
’Bridge to BDO’ focuses on increasing awareness of the accountancy profession from an earlier age than traditional student insight offerings, improving access to opportunities at essential decision-making moments. It has been designed in line with the Career & Enterprise Company’s Equalex definition of modern work experience.
As part of the partnership with Connectr, BDO will also deliver ‘Discover Finance’, a collaborative programme for students in years 12-13 from a low socio-economic background, to help broaden access to careers in the financial services sector.
Students will attend a series of insight days with local employers gaining sector specific insights, career-ready skills and valuable early-career connections and networks.
Together, the two programmes – Bridge to BDO and Discover Finance - aim to scale across all regions in the UK over the next three years, reaching more than 3,000 students where access to opportunity is often limited.
Research carried out as part of BDO’s ‘Young Minds’ survey of 2000 young people aged 18-25 highlights the importance of businesses engaging with students at an early stage and the impact it can make on widening access to professions.
More than a third of those surveyed (35%) say that their relationships with local businesses through work experience or workshops at schools/college has or will have the biggest influence on their career decisions. The survey also revealed that students from a lower socio-economic background (SEB) were less likely to have had the opportunity to take part in CV workshops, mock interviews and other structured careers support compared to their peers from higher SEBs.
Louise Sayers, Head of People, Culture and Purpose at BDO, says: “The value of modernising work experience opportunities for our younger generations should not be underestimated. It’s so important to be able break the cycle of inequity through creating targeted experiences, reaching students at a younger age, broadening their awareness of professions like accountancy, and giving them a direct line of sight to what their career could look like.
“Being able to expand our early career pathways in a way that also encourages our people to use their own citizenship volunteering days makes me incredibly proud. There will be a lasting impact from these experiences, both on the young people and our own people who participate, which will stay with them no matter where their career takes them.”
BDO has been partnered with Connectr Tech Talent for four years. It provides the online platform for BDO HIVE – the firm’s early careers knowledge and work insight hub that provides ongoing engagement and support for young people even after taking part in work experience.
Rachel Morar, Managing Director at Connectr Early Engagement, says: "We're incredibly proud to partner with BDO to expand the amazing work they were already doing to support young people access a career in accountancy. Combining their own bespoke work experience programme with Discover Finance, the collaborative sector wide programme, is a gold standard example of a structured, multi-touchpoint journey for young people, which will deliver both breadth and depth of impact."
BDO has been delivering targeted insight programmes for the last five years as part of its commitment to improving diversity and social mobility within the profession.
Since launching, more than 250 young people have participated in the Explore BDO and Black Heritage insight programmes with more than 200 places available this year.
Find out more about BDO’s work experience here: BDO Work Experience: Early Career insights
