They are backing a report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission which says more needs to be done to encourage greater social mobility within the profession.

Gaenor Bagley, head of people at PwC, described the report as a ‘wake-up call’ suggesting employers are potentially missing out on untapped talent in all areas of society, by excluding applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Marianne Fallon, partner and head of corporate affairs at KPMG said: ‘It is extremely disappointing that young people from less privileged backgrounds are struggling to get on the career ladder.’

ICAEW director, Sharon Spice, said: ‘We are starting to see a trend among employers in recruiting chartered accountants, which will go some way to address social mobility. The numbers of trainee accountants are at an all-time high, but the way they enter the profession is looking different.

‘Last year, the proportion of those with a degree dropped for the first time with employers having a growing appetite to recruit school-leavers and apprentices. Trainee chartered accountants with degrees reduced by 3% between 2013 and 2014 alone.’

PwC has already introduced a number of measures to ensure fair and open access to its programmes, including the recent removal of UCAS tariff as an entry requirement for graduate role. The firm also offers alternative access routes such as Higher Apprenticeships, provides on-line training for students preparing for their applications, and tracks social mobility as part of equal opportunities monitoring.

Bagley said: ‘We need to go further if our recruitment intake is to be representative of the student population. In particular this means reaching out to those who consider a career with us to be “not for the likes of them”, based on the stereotypes of the past.’

Grant Thornton (GT) said it had seen a number of business advantages as a result of changes to its trainee talent selection strategy which the firm made two years ago. These included removing traditional entry criteria such as UCAS requirements, and adopting a holistic approach to spotting talent which focuses on behaviours, shared values and potential.

As a result, GT has increased its recruitment target by 25% to over 500, which has produced noticeable shifts in the diversity and breadth of its intake. It says that those who have joined the firm under the new criteria are more likely to have attended state school, taken on caring responsibilities, be first generation university students or have received free school meals.

 In 2014, 12% of new trainees would not have been able to apply in previous years due to their academic profile, and estimates suggest the 2015 figure will be closer to 20%.  The firm is tracking this talent within the business and is seeing comparable levels of performance and professional exam success when measured against the total graduate intake.

Sacha Romanovitch, GT’s CEO-elect, said: ‘We operate within a sector that takes a very traditional approach to academic entry requirements and talent identification. 

‘We were pioneers of what was considered a risky strategy in the external market due to the scale of, and investment associated with trainee recruitment and development which includes rigorous professional qualifications.

‘We’d challenge all other large recruiters to re-evaluate traditional beliefs around talent identification and explore how they could widen access and open up opportunity.’