The Virtuous Circle
KPMG360° is revolutionising early talent recruitment. How?Generally, things that rotate are cool. Think Catherine wheels, the London Eye, merry-go-rounds. Oh, and milkshake mixers.
Now you can add to the list a new programme at KPMG, which could – ahem – turn around the way professional services looks at entry-level recruitment.
It’s called KPMG360° and it offers school and college leavers the opportunity to rotate across the business, giving them insights into functions such as tax, audit, advisory and technology.
The programme lasts between three or six years depending on what path the individual chooses. Along the way, the apprentices work and study towards professional qualifications. At the end of six years, apprentices will be a fully qualified professional at assistant manager level.
A neat CR initiative, right? Perhaps, but it’s also a lot more, says Michael Walby, Director of Professional Qualification Training at KPMG.
Russell bland
‘We created it to broaden the talent in our organisation,’ he tells us. ‘Our incoming talent shouldn’t just be graduates from the Russell Group of universities. And our expectation is that by widening access to a more diverse range of individuals, we’ll create better solutions for our clients.’
KPMG360° is based on previous programmes with a social mobility bias, but gives more opportunities for progression. ‘It offers a clear pathway from classroom to boardroom, irrespective of your background,’ states Walby.
Sometimes talent from an alternative background will think and act differently to talent that’s taken a standard graduate route, he adds.
‘I have encountered a number of employees on our STAR programme (a predecessor talent programme) who have demonstrated examples of courage, curiosity and commitment that would be very difficult to replicate while achieving outstanding academic success at University. These qualities have the potential to add huge value to our clients and KPMG if they are nurtured and channelled to the right opportunities.’
From Mad Men to Add Me
Emily Milne-Home, Head of Student Attraction at KPMG, says that the schools the firm works with have helped to drive the social mobility agenda.
‘Our education outreach activity tells us that there are great students who just aren’t getting the grades they need to come in as graduates,’ she says.
Milne-Home also recognises the importance of building direct relationships with key influencers. Partnerships with organisations such as Teach First and MyKindaCrowd help develop these relationships with parents and teachers.
‘The landscape has changed since some teachers went to school,’ she says. ‘It’s not always appropriate now for them to tell students to go to university. Increasingly, there are excellent apprenticeship opportunities out there.’
Walby echoes the need to change opinions, not just about universities but also about professional services itself.
‘Until there is a primetime drama about accountants, young people are not really going to see the truth of what we offer,’ he says.
Culture change
KPMG360° is currently being offered in six office locations and the first intake of 115 apprentices will start this autumn.
How will success be measured? ‘We’ll look at attainment of professional qualifications,’ says Walby. ‘But also line management feedback, and utilisation – how much chargeable time the apprentices contribute to client work.’
‘But there are also more subtle and less quantifiable factors, such as the change of culture that may come within the organisation. It might even redefine what leadership itself means at KPMG.’
360° feedback
The implementation of KPMG360° is a big deal, and its scope is large. What tips would the team suggest to anyone taking on a similar challenge?
Keep the baby in with the bathwater. ‘One of the things we’ve done with KPMG360° is to build on past successes,’ says Walby. ‘We’re actually developing insights into programme design we’ve been collecting over the last five or six years.’
Get someone senior on board. Head of Corporate Affairs and KPMG Executive Committee member Marianne Fallon, has played a big role. ‘People don’t really believe in ideas,’ says Walby. ‘They believe in people who believe in ideas. Marianne had a strong vision, and the force of personality to push it through.’
Prepare to compromise – but don’t do it often. ‘You have to know when to adapt, but also when to hold onto the basic principles,’ Walby says. ‘We’ve done well – we haven’t given away any sacred cows so far.’
Finally, be open to new assessment criteria. ‘One of the best indicators of future success isn’t achievement,’ says Walby. ‘It’s potential.’ ‘Grades don’t always reflect the future potential of an individual at the time of taking their exams.’
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