New Routes in for Tech Jobs at KPMG Through ‘Generation’ Partnership

A new partnership to help young people from underprivileged backgrounds start their technology careers at KPMG has been announced today.

KPMG UK has teamed up with Generation, a global non-profit youth employability programme. Generation trains and places young people in jobs they otherwise may not have had access to, particularly individuals from underprivileged backgrounds.

The two-year partnership will focus on connecting young talent to life-changing technology careers at KPMG, especially roles working in Cloud technology, and our Cloud Engineers will support trainees to help with the upskilling of digital talent.

The programme is already in progress and is open to Generation UK’s graduates.

Commenting on the partnership Lisa Heneghan, Chief Digital Officer of KPMG in the UK, said:

“We are committed to improving our diversity and providing unique career opportunities for young people, which is why I am thrilled that we are partnering with Generation. A more diverse and inclusive team means a more innovative team, which is particularly important for the tech sector. Having greater diversity improves problem-solving abilities and has been proven to increase productivity and happiness. It also means our clients benefit from a variety of expertise and ideas, resulting in more successful project results.”

In the UK tech sector, only 19 percent of workers are from a working-class background compared to 33.3 percent of the nationwide population. At the same time, two-thirds (66 percent) of digital leaders in the UK are finding it difficult to keep pace with change because they simply don’t have the talent they need, according to research from Harvey Nash. There is an obvious opportunity and urgency to support individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds into a career in technology to help close both the diversity and digital skills gaps that the sector continues to grapple with.

Michael Houlihan, CEO of Generation UK, commented:

“We’re delighted to launch this partnership with KPMG. Generation firmly believes that all bright young people, regardless of background, should have an equal opportunity to access sustainable careers in the thriving tech industry, and we’re working hard to make that a reality. Our partnership with KPMG is a really important and exciting step, giving the opportunity for lots of young people with an interest in tech to land jobs with one of the UK’s leading employers, with fantastic ongoing training and mentoring. We look forward to welcoming our first cohort of learners in 2022 as they take this first step in their careers.”

Jonathan Grice, Director of Cloud Engineering, KPMG UK added:

“It’s fantastic to see us working together with Generation to create unique job opportunities for youngsters who face obstacles in their lives that lessen their chances of securing a career at somewhere like KPMG. I’m really proud to have worked on the partnership and cannot wait to be involved with nurturing and developing the IT leaders of the future.”

In 2021, KPMG became one of the first organisations to publish its socio-economic background pay gaps and set out an ambitious target to see 29 percent of UK partners and directors come from a working-class background by 2030. This new partnership is the first of several schemes to help us reach this goal.

Since its inception in 2019, Generation UK has worked to train young people across the UK with the necessary skills to access life-changing careers against the odds. The unique Generation methodology combines profession-specific and practice-based training over multi-week bootcamps with ongoing wrap-around mentorship to help support learners overcome barriers.

For more information about applying to Generation UK’s programmes, please visit:

https://uk.generation.org/launch-your-career/

 

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About KPMG LLP

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 22 offices across the UK with approximately 15,300 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.43 billion in the year ended 30 September 2021.

KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. It operates in 145 countries and territories with more than 236,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

About Generation

Generation: You Employed, UK is a not-for-profit organisation helping to empower young people facing barriers in employment to build thriving, sustainable careers in tech and to provide employers with the highly-skilled, motivated talent they need. Their tailored programmes help to recruit, train and place unemployed young people into work. Through their unique approach they also solve a wide range of employer challenges - skilled talent shortages, poor job performance, lack of diversity, and high turnover. They have over 80 per cent job attainment and over 3,000 employee partners globally.

Contact

Lizzy Chesters – Media Relations Manager

T: +44 (0)20 3078 3732

E: lizzy.chesters@kpmg.co.uk 

KPMG UK Media Relations Team:

T: +44 (0) 207 694 8773

For further information about becoming a partner of Generation UK, please contact:

Generation UK

Jessica Young - Director of Strategic Partnerships

E: jess.young@generation.org