Careers News
Training Oppotunity with Marks and Spencers
Marks & Spencer Trainee Retail Management Scheme
Forget where you see yourself in five years’ time. With our Trainee Retail Management programme, you can make Commercial Manager of one of our stores in fewer than two. All you need is two A-levels (or equivalent), a head for business and heart for customer service. In return, you’ll enjoy the finest training in the business and the best package on the high street. So the real question is: are you up for it?
Our Trainee Retail Management scheme lasts 18 months and combines on-the-job learning, real-life project work, and focused development activities. It’s demanding stuff and takes real drive and ambition. But in return you’ll build the foundation of a successful future career – and get benefits like an annual performance-related bonus, generous pension plan, hefty 20% employee discount, and much more.
If you’re excited by the opportunity to fast track your career with one of the UK’s best-loved retail brands, find out more and apply at www.marksandspencer.com/traineemanager
Training Opportunity from National Grid Apprenticeship
National Grid currently have opportunities at Sundon for their Engineering Training Programme. There are two leaflets about training programmes offered by the National Grid at the bottom of this page.
They are holding an assessment centre on the 1st/2nd May so anyone interested should submit an application via the National Grid website as a matter of urgency and progress their application through the initial recruitment stages promptly. They also have another assessment centre scheduled for Sundon for July but this may not go ahead if they can fill our vacancies in May. They also have Engineer Training Programme opportunities at Elstree.
Further choices when leaving the Sixth Form
Joining straight after A levels
You don’t need to go to university to get on in your career. Not if you have some good ‘A’ levels or equivalent behind you. Thanks to our School and College leaver programmes, you can jump straight into the world of work and earn while you study towards a professional accounting or tax qualification. And as well as practical book-keeping, auditing or tax specific skills, you’ll develop in-depth business knowledge thanks to formal learning, on-the-job experience and coaching from colleagues.
Whether you're about to leave school or college, or you're ready to make a career change, our School and College leaver programmes are perfect for you if you’ve already decided a career in accountancy or finance is for you. You could gain your professional qualification faster than your friends who go to university with the added bonus of being debt free.
Assurance school and college leaver programme:
Join our School and College leaver programmes in either Assurance or Public Services Assurance and you can expect to qualify as Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) within four years. Right from the start, you’ll be working on live audit projects, managing your own workloads and visiting clients on site – so expect to travel regularly. You'll begin by tackling basic sections of client audits such as checking financial records, reviewing assets, attending stock counts, collating company information and testing controls. And you can expect to be involved in a variety of teams and clients and a wide range of projects.
How you’ll develop
You’ll study towards a professional qualification with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). This usually takes around four years to complete so it does demand a long-term commitment from you. But we’ll give you loads of support ranging from a Professional Qualifications Manager to plenty of study leave. You’ll also have your own People Manager, who'll review your performance and make sure you make the most of your time with us, plus a 'buddy', who'll help you sort out all your day-to-day queries. When you complete the programme, you’ll enjoy the same opportunities as our graduate joiners – especially as you’ll have good practical experience under your belt. You’ll even have the option to continue your studies towards a degree from Oxford Brookes University.
What you need
This programme is open to you if:
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you have a 280 UCAS tariff or equivalent
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You’ve already started your career but you’re looking for a change of direction.
Tax Technician school and college leaver programme:
You can specialise in:
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Corporate & Indirect Tax – focusing on Corporation Tax or VAT Compliance
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Human Resource Consulting
Compliance is a fast growing area for us. Because of constant changes in assurance, regulatory and tax compliance, more and more companies are turning to us to steer them through the complexities. You’d work in a specialist team to deliver a streamlined compliance process that offers more regulatory control and a clear tax audit trail.
You’ll start off in our Expatriate Compliance Group, learning how to prepare tax returns for people leaving or coming to the UK to work. You’ll be their point of contact, handling their queries by phone, email and sometimes face to face, advising on tax planning and getting exposure to all sorts of different clients. You might also spend some time in our Relationship Team, building relationships with major clients and interacting with Senior Managers and PwC Partners. But whatever you’re doing, you’ll enjoy loads of variety and you’ll always be busy – particularly in the run up to tax deadlines.
How you’ll develop
You’ll enjoy plenty of practical, on-the-job training while studying for a professional qualification with the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT). This usually takes around two years. We’ll give you study leave to go to college plus plenty of support, but you’ll need to study in your own time too. The hard work will be worth it though when you pick up your qualification. And the great thing is, by the time you complete your exams, you’ll have lots of valuable experience to build on. Do well and you could go on to take your CTA exams in your fourth year and become a Chartered Tax Adviser.
At the same, time, whichever area you work in, you'll enjoy plenty of interaction with clients – from multinationals to ambitious start-ups across a wide range of industry sectors – in meetings and over the phone. You'll support busy client teams by advising businesses on tax issues, and doing anything from technical research to drafting correspondence to going with senior colleagues to meetings. And you’ll get a solid grounding in your specialism plus regular training and updates to boost your development. Gradually you’ll take on your own portfolio of clients as you progress.
What you need
This technically focused programme is open to you if:
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you’re leaving school with at least a 240 UCAS tariff
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you’ve finished your degree but haven’t quite met the criteria for our graduate programme; or you’ve already started your career but you’re looking for a change of direction.
Business Recovery Services school and college leaver programme:
Business Recovery Services (BRS) offers the opportunity to work in one of the most unpredictable and challenging areas of PwC. You’ll become a Certified Chartered Accountant within 4 years, which in itself will open doors to a rewarding career. Working in BRS is so much more than accountancy and numbers. It’s about becoming an all round business specialist and developing the invaluable skills that will allow you to work with businesses facing varied and complex issues and where possible help make a difference.
As part of the largest Business Recovery practice in the UK, with over 970 staff in 24 offices, you’ll have access to specialists in areas such as Tax and Assurance to Advisory, to support you in helping clients make the right decisions.
What you’ll do
Right from the start, you’ll be working on live cases within your team: your work will matter to the outcome.
In BRS, no day is ever the same. One day you might be liaising with employees, customers, suppliers and creditors of the company, which calls for tact, sensitivity and assertiveness. Then you could be writing reports or analysing data , requiring problem solving and attention to detail.
This varied on-the-job experience will develop you technically and personally, as well as exposing you to all sides of running a business. No wonder it’s so rewarding.
Training and development
You'll develop skills that’ll help you build a career both in BRS and the wider firm. You’ll learn how to look at every facet of a business with a critical eye - weighing up all you see and hear against its current financial situation and coming up with a plan to help our clients achieve their goals. And the business intuition and decision-making skills you'll develop will have all sorts of applications.
This gives you the widest possible experience while you train plus a platform to make informed decisions about your career.
You’ll study towards a professional qualification with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). This usually takes around four years to complete so it does demand a long-term commitment from you. But we’ll give you all the support you need ranging from a Professional Qualifications Manager to plenty of study leave. You’ll have your own People Manager, who'll review your performance and make sure you make the most of your time with us, plus a 'buddy', who'll help you sort out all your day-to-day queries. When you complete the programme, you’ll enjoy the same opportunities as our graduate joiners – especially as you’ll have good practical experience under your belt. You’ll even have the option to continue your studies towards a degree from Oxford Brookes University.
All this help you decide which areas interest you most and where you'd like to work after you qualify.
An Opportunity
There is an open evening at their Milton Keynes office on 11 April at 6pm.
Students need to register on line.