Grant Thornton UK LLP has hired a raft of new starters this September, as the firm looks to invest in the future of its Welsh team.
Eight graduates and school leavers have joined the leading business and financial advisory firm’s Cardiff office across a broad range of departments, including commercial audit and tax.
The new joiners have been welcomed from various stages of education including school leavers, university graduates and placement students.
Nationally, Grant Thornton has more than doubled the number of trainees joining its school leaver apprenticeship programme, achieving a record 193 new recruits, up from 90 in 2021.
The firm has also welcomed a record number across its broader trainee intake in 2022, with a combined 461 new graduates and school leavers joining across the country.
Grant Thornton, which was named in the top 10 of the Department for Education’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers in 2022, aims to reach a 50:50 split in its trainee hire population between university graduates and those joining straight from school.
Rhian Owen, Partner for Grant Thornton UK based in Cardiff, said: “We are thrilled to welcome our new starters to the firm at what is an exciting time for the region. We pride ourselves on nurturing junior talent and helping them grow into the next generation of leaders and I’m confident that the supportive work culture we’ve created at our Cardiff office will help them to achieve this.”
32-year-old Stacey Bates, who joined Grant Thornton through a Commercial Audit Placement after undergoing a career change, said: “What attracted me to Grant Thornton first and foremost was the supportive culture for working families. Being a working mum, knowing that Grant Thornton had been awarded the Top 10 employer for working families was a major contributing factor in where I wanted to grow my career within the financial sector.
“Everyone in the team so far has been very welcoming and I immediately felt at ease on my first day. Meeting the partners and hearing about their long-standing successful careers also makes me feel like I am part of a company that values their people and is an enjoyable place to work.”
12 new starters have also recently joined Grant Thornton’s Bristol office, bringing the total number of graduates and school leavers that started at the firm’s South West and Wales teams in September to 20.
