Nicole wins top level degree apprenticeship

A RIPON Grammar School student has won a top-level degree apprenticeship with a leading multinational professional services company.

Nicole Lambert, 18, will take up her position, leading to a chartered accountancy qualification which is the equivalent of a master’s degree, with Grant Thornton in Leeds next September.

Originally selected as one of eleven students from 2,000 applicants to take part in the firm’s four-week work placement scheme, she won a place on the highly competitive apprenticeship scheme as an audit associate.

She says she feels grateful to be offered such an amazing opportunity, and to embark on the next stage of her career - on a salary of £24,000, rising to £45,000 over five years - without taking on any student debt.

Studying for A-levels in maths, economics and English literature, she says: “Apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships are invaluable opportunities to avoid student debt and earn a competitive salary fresh out of education. They allow you to get hands-on experience while gaining strong qualifications, fast-tracking your career and progression.”

Nicole, who is chair of the school’s Economics Society, adds: “The ability to integrate into a firm ahead of graduates provides endless networking opportunities and provides an alternative to university, if that isn’t what you are looking for.”

Nicole, from Richmond, who also captains the school’s 1stXV hockey team, first became interested in finance apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships after a conversation with another RGS student who had taken up a place with Ernst and Young after her A-levels.

Through the Young Professionals student network, she attended webinars about accounting, banking and finance, with the ‘big five’ firms, alongside others including Grant Thornton, the seventh largest professional services company in the world.

She had theopportunity to attend events at PwC, KMPG and Grant Thornton’s offices, which gave her the opportunity to network with apprentices and recruiters and find out more about each individual firm.

“Grant Thornton really caught my eye as it was known as the ‘people firm’ out of all of the largest financial services firms, and the atmosphere in the office was really friendly and welcoming.

“I found their Ignite work experience programme through Young Professionals, which really excited me as I had applied to multiple work experiences in the past and only got accepted to PwC, as they are super competitive.”

She explains the application process: “There were multiple stages, first an application form and after that screening you gained access to the first online assessment, a cognitive and behavioural based task, asking motivation-based questions, and basic analytical and maths questions, which they provided feedback on afterwards.

“The final stage was a case study, where you have towrite a one-page report summarising the key points from six sources you are provided with.

“This was quite pressured, and the most stressful part of the application, as you had 22 minutes to complete the task and write a concise report, however Grant Thornton provided you with lots of resources to help prepare for this, on their employability hub.

“Grant Thornton looks for individuals who match their values – collaboration, leadership, excellence, agility, responsibility and respect. They look for the key soft skills, being able to communicate and interpersonal ability are key.”

Nicole’s advice to those looking to apply is be to properly research the role and the firm: “And concentrate on why you want to apply there instead of other firms, what makes them stand out?”