Grant Thornton UK LLP has welcomed nine new joiners to its Wales team this year, as part of the leading business and financial adviser’s nationwide intake of 300 new trainees.
The new starters will join key departments across the Cardiff-based business, with a strong focus on audit and tax services. This year’s intake marks a 29% increase from last year, when seven new joiners started their careers at the firm’s Cardiff office.
One member of this year’s intake is a school leaver, joining Grant Thornton’s Cardiff firm straight from their A-Levels. This comes as apprenticeships have been shown to become more popular with both young people and their parents.
In a recent Grant Thornton survey of 2,000 parents with children aged 12-21 and 2,000 young people aged 16-21, it found that parents are more likely to encourage their child to apply for a school leaver apprenticeship (44%) than for university (40%).
The survey also found that the percentage of parents who perceive school leaver apprenticeships as providing good career prospects has risen from 79% in 2018, to 84% in 2024. 73% of young people also believe that school leaver apprenticeships offer good career prospects.
Rhian Owen, Partner for Grant Thornton UK based in Cardiff, said:
“We’re extremely excited to welcome so many new joiners to Grant Thornton’s team in Wales. This intake really demonstrates Grant Thornton’s focus on nurturing local talent and strengthening our capabilities across multiple service lines. The distribution of our latest team members across audit, tax, and advisory services reflects the diverse needs of our clients in Wales and our commitment to supporting them with the advice and expertise they need.”
Georgina Fredericks, a 20-year-old Corporate Tax Associate on a 12-month placement from the University of Bath, said:
“I was attracted to the 12-month placement programme offered by Grant Thornton as it’s a fantastic way to gain experience and have a clearer idea of what to do after university. Grant Thornton stood out because of the emphasis on people and culture, which makes it a lovely place to work. I would like to gain as much experience as possible in my placement year, and then complete my degree, join back as a graduate and then hope to become ACA/CTA qualified.”
