The trainees, which join the firm’s 8,000 strong workforce across its four core business areas - audit, tax, deals and consulting, risk & outsourcing (CRO) - are a combination of school leaver apprentices, university graduates and students undertaking a 12-month industrial placement. Over half are based in regions outside of London. 

In their first week, the trainees are attending a two-day induction at Wembley Stadium where they will gain insight into the firm’s culture and values, while also having the opportunity to network and collaborate with their new colleagues.

The programme begins with a welcome from BDO UK managing partner Mark Shaw and head of people, culture & purpose, Anna Draper. 

Draper said: ‘Welcoming our new cohort of trainees to the firm is a huge privilege. Our success has always been built on people with ambition and curiosity. This new group of trainees brings all of that and more. I am excited to see the impact they’ll have on our firm, our clients and our communities.’

BDO is now in its fifth year of delivering targeted insight programmes as part of its commitment to increasing diversity and improving social mobility within the profession. It is a founding member of Access Accountancy.

This year the firm’s Explore BDO programme, designed specifically for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, saw a 75% increase in headcount, with 56 students from years 12-13 taking part. 

An additional 42 young people - a combination of year 12-13 students and university students - attended a Northern-specific lower socio-economic insight programme in the Leeds office this summer. Numbers for BDO’s Black Heritage Programme, designed for second year university students, more than doubled this year with 43 students attending.

Draper added: ‘As our insight and work experience programmes continue to grow and evolve, we know they are having a tremendous impact in making the accountancy profession more accessible. Year on year, we’re seeing an increasing number of students from these programmes progressing onto the trainee pathway. 

‘Social mobility is a strategic area of focus at BDO. We are passionate about improving access to the profession and we have some brilliant online programmes to support this too. In the last year, we’ve seen 4,500 young people sign up to our virtual work experience site and a further 2,000 active users on our online engagement platform.

‘These initiatives help us access a broader pool of people and improves social mobility, diversity and inclusion, both in the profession and in society generally.’

In total BDO has around 1,700 trainees across the firm, working towards professional qualifications. This year’s 600 intake is in line with previous years.

What it means in practice

Antara Verma, an audit trainee in the London office, joined BDO’s apprenticeship programme in 2022 and is due to qualify in 2026.

‘I first became aware of BDO during Year 12 of school. I was researching work experience opportunities when I applied for the virtual summer insight programme BDO was running,’ said Verma. ‘It was a great experience and one that fast-tracked me onto the BDO school leaver apprenticeship programme once I’d finished my studies.

 ‘It was a big shift to leave education and enter the corporate world straight away. There was a whole new way of working to get used to, but the culture here at BDO has been incredible; everyone at every level is supportive and understanding of the additional learning commitments the trainees have.

‘There are so many opportunities to grow and develop, not just in a technical capacity but through things like supporting the Early in Careers team with local inductions, social events, wellbeing initiatives and onboarding committees, all of which feed into creating a more balanced and fulfilling work life.’