With a shift away from graduate only recruitment over recent years by the biggest accounting firms, apprenticeships have become a popular route for aspiring accountants and tax advisers.

Having left school at 16 and started an apprenticeship to enter the accounting profession, Max Whiteley, now a chartered accountant and domain expert at Dext accounting software provider, has firsthand experience of how bypassing university can kickstart a career and give employers a richer, more diverse workforce.

‘Apprenticeships play such an important role in addressing the skills shortage in the accountancy industry,’ Whiteley said. ‘They’re a fantastic option for anyone who doesn’t see university as the right path for them and make a huge difference in terms of boosting the diversity of backgrounds within the sector.

‘I took the apprenticeship route myself and it was the best decision I could’ve made - it gave me hands-on experience and a really solid understanding of accounting while studying for my qualifications.’

But there is also a problem with the perception of the day-to-day job of accountants, putting off youngsters looking for a flashier career, but the old days of simply crunching numbers are long gone.

‘The rise of AI and digital tools has completely redefined what it means to be an accountant,’ said Whiteley.

‘It’s no longer just about crunching numbers, audits or spreadsheets; modern accountants are strategic business advisors. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience in real-world financial decision-making that goes far beyond traditional accounting stereotypes.’

Many accounting firms have been strong supporters of the apprenticeship route, with all the Big Four running major programmes.

Private equity backed Azets, a top 10 accounting firm, has an apprenticeship scheme, which has produced dividends for the firm, building a strong talent pipeline.

The Newbury office of Azets has a number of apprentices which have made the career pathway all the way from school leaver to partner.

Assistant manager Dylan Brownlie (pictured) joined the firm in 2016 straight from sixth form as an associate junior and is now a fully qualified ACCA accountant, managing a portfolio of more than 75 SME and partnership clients, as well as mentoring new trainees.  

‘As I was finishing school, I wanted to follow a career where I could apply my strengths in problem solving. Facts and figures enticed me, and accountancy felt like the perfect fit. Discovering the apprenticeship route made it the ideal choice for me,’ said Brownlie.

‘While some of my friends were heading off to university, the opportunity to learn and earn was far more appealing to me. It allowed me to gain some real-world experience and start building my career early.’

Another success story at Azets is Lyndsey Camilleri, promoted to partner last year, who began her career as an apprentice in 2008. More than half of all jobseekers (52%) had considered the apprenticeship route as a way into the finance industry, found research by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), one of the most active apprentice trainers. AAT qualifications underpin eight in 10 of all England’s apprenticeships in accounting and finance at intermediate and advanced levels.

Sarah Beale, CEO of AAT, said: ‘People with an appetite to learn new skills are key to addressing vacancies in the UK’s most in demand occupations, such as finance as well as addressing the gender imbalance particularly in more senior roles.

‘We can see that millions of people are interested in apprenticeships to switch careers, so what’s stopping them?

‘The problem is that many people don’t realise how many opportunities are already available. You don’t need to go to university for three years or stop earning to start an exciting career in finance.’

Grant Thornton is a major apprentice employer, hiring over 550 school leavers on its trainee apprenticeship programmes over the last four years.  

Richard Waite, head of talent and recruitment at Grant Thornton, said: ‘While university will always offer a positive route for many, the ability for young people to start work straight away and earn a salary through an apprenticeship, while also studying towards a qualification, offers a valuable alternative route; and it’s only growing in popularity. 

‘While a school leaver apprenticeship offers many benefits to the individual it also opens up a significant new talent pool for employers.

‘Many of our senior leaders started their careers as school leaver apprentices and the skills an apprenticeship programme can provide to the individual, and the skills gaps it can address for the employer, highlights the exciting opportunity this alternative route can provide.’

But Whiteley cautioned that the large amount of conventional exams required to pass to get professional qualifications such as an ACA, ACCA or CA can be off-putting, questioning whether accountancy exams could be more practical and assessment based.

‘As apprentices progress through their career, the prospect of securing qualifications can feel daunting - especially as the “exam-style” tests generally tend to favour those who have taken the university path,’ said Whiteley.

‘This is why we need to consider incorporating more practical, situational-based assessments which better reflect the realities of modern day accounting.’

But apprenticeships are not popular across the board. Research by Grant Thornton showed that as many as a quarter of (25%) businesses do not offer any apprenticeship programmes for young people joining the workforce straight from school, missing out on a significant talent pool.

Companies cool on apprenticeships claimed they were ‘unclear about the benefits school leaver apprentices would bring to their business’, the system was too complex and there were not strong enough incentives, while one in four only focused on graduate recruitment.

But the apprenticeship route is growing in popularity, with the latest ONS data for the 2024/25 academic year showing that higher apprenticeship starts increased by 8% to over 800,000.

Another challenge can be finding the right apprenticeship with a number of different centralised sources and of course, plenty of material on individual firm websites, meaning it can take time to identify the best options.

To make apprenticeship opportunities more accessible, the AAT has launched AAT Careers Hub, a dedicated finance apprenticeship and jobs board, connecting would-be apprentices with hundreds of employers who have AAT apprenticeship schemes. This week it is free for employers to advertise finance apprenticeships on the new platform.

NAW 2025, now in its 18th year, encourages everyone to consider and celebrate how apprenticeships and skills help individuals develop rewarding careers, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.