First Intuition sponsor UCAS’s Accountancy and Finance Industry Guide

July 17, 2024

Accountancy training provider First Intuition is delighted to be working alongside UCAS as the sponsor for their Industry Guide to Apprenticeships in Accountancy and Finance. The Industry Guides provide information about specific sectors to inform students about what it is like to work and study as an apprentice, how to apply, and the top skills employers look for in those industries.

Visitors to the Accountancy and Finance Industry Guide page on the UCAS website will now also find a First Intuition video showing what it is like to work and study as an apprentice, how to apply and the top skills employers look for in those industries. This includes testimonials from apprenticeship students studying at Levels 2, 3, 4 and 7 and information from tutors. This guide will further spread the message about the huge importance of apprenticeships in the sector and help young adults and school students make informed decisions about their future careers.

The informational video is also a valuable resource for employers to use in the recruitment of their own apprentices to help educate school and college leavers about alternative routes into a career in accountancy. 85% of First Intuition classes are now made up of accountancy apprentices, illustrating their value as a route into the sector.

Gareth John, CEO of First Intuition Cambridge Ltd comments “UCAS is the biggest brand in education in the UK and the work they are doing to increase the visibility and credibility of apprenticeships is incredibly important. I am extremely proud to be the first provider of accountancy apprenticeships to work with them to deliver relevant and up-to-date information and guidance to young adults considering an apprenticeship as the starting point of a career in accountancy and finance.”

Amy Forrest, Managing Director of First Intuition Cambridge Ltd comments “UCAS is often one of the first places young people will go to consider their next steps. For apprenticeships to be as equally promoted as university is a massive step forward and will have a huge impact on providing parity of search for apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are a fantastic route into a career and further education so to work with UCAS to provide information about accounting and finance apprenticeships is incredibly exciting!”

UCAS, the UK’s largest Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, officially added apprenticeship vacancies to its website in October 2023 so that students can consider them as an option alongside degrees. This has had a transformative impact on the visibility of apprenticeship vacancies, which are now listed alongside traditional higher education to UCAS’s 1.5 million active website users.

Anyone using the universities and colleges admission service’s “hub”, now sees relevant available apprenticeships when they search for a type of course, including the employer, training provider, level, qualifications needed for the course, closing date and salary. Not only is this increasing the visibility of available apprenticeship vacancies, but it is also helping to give apprenticeships the same prestige as traditional university degrees. Parity of search will further drive parity of credibility for apprenticeship programmes.

You can find a link to the UCAS Accountancy and Finance Industry Guide page here: https://www.ucas.com/explore/industry-guides/finance-and-accounting, and more information about First Intuition and the importance of apprenticeships in accountancy here: https://www.ucas.com/explore/employer/first-intuition.