EY and KPMG are among a clutch of companies to have signed up to GoThinkBig, a nationwide initiative designed to bridge the skills gap for unemployed 16-24 year olds.

Under the scheme, EY is offering eight entry level roles as recruitment administrators in Birmingham, while KPMG has provided 150 opportunities through the firm's school leaver programme.

Opportunities are promoted on the GoThinkBig career development site, which is designed to provide young people with a one stop shop for opportunities in some of the most difficult to access industries, such as banking, which the scheme organisers say are frequently only accessible to those with contacts.

EY and KPMG, along with household names including the BBC, Sony Music and CGI, will place future work-related opportunities on the website, including skills development sessions, work experience, apprenticeships, internships and entry-level roles.

Steve Keith in the EY employer brand team said: 'The importance of young people for EY cannot be underestimated, and we really encourage a whole wealth and diversity of talent. That means attracting people from a variety of different backgrounds and ages. We hope that by working with GoThinkBig that we can help many young people to find their career formula for success.'

O2 and Bauer Media set up the scheme with £5m annual funding and committed to make 30,000 experience and skills opportunities available to 16 - 24 year olds over its first three years. The founders say they are always looking for further businesses to form a 'coalition of the willing' in order to provide more work experience opportunities to young people.

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, head of GoThinkBig, said: 'GoThinkBig was set up as a response to the catch-22 situation young people were finding themselves in. Without experience and skills, it's difficult for them to break into their chosen fields; and, conversely, the fact that they're unable to break into their chosen fields means they're unable to get any experience.'