Meston Reid & Co is looking for two recruits with ambitions of becoming fully-qualified accountants through an innovative work-based university programme.
The Aberdeen chartered accountancy firm has signed up to Robert Gordon University’s Graduate Apprenticeships scheme.
RGU, in collaboration with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), will be the only university in Scotland to offer a Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) in Accountancy, with 40 places available.
The programme, developed by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), combines work-based and academic learning over five years. Around 180 fully-funded GA places will be available across a range of disciplines, including business management, construction, engineering and data science.
Mark Brown, audit, accounts and business assurance partner at Meston Reid & Co, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Robert Gordon University on this innovative accountancy programme. We are offering the opportunity for two people with university entry-level qualifications to earn a salary, while at the same time working towards recognised accountancy qualifications and developing their careers.”
Meston Reid & Co has a track record of supporting the next generation. The firm has accepted placement students from Robert Gordon University’s accountancy and finance degree in all but two of the past 20 years.
Virtually all of the firm’s students have enjoyed exam success, including Jenny Robertson who joined Meston Reid & Co after being named Robert Gordon University Best Final Year Student in Accounting and Finance BA (Hons) in 2016. In February it was announced she had won the Archie Hunter Prize for her performance in the Test of Professional Expertise paper – her final ICAS exam before formal qualification as a chartered accountant. She came out on top of 624 chartered accountancy trainees from Scotland and England that sat the exam.
Through the Reach Scotland programme, the University of Aberdeen recently arranged for north-east pupils to visit Meston Reid & Co to gain a better understanding of accountancy as a career choice.
The Graduate Apprenticeships programme has been developed by SDS in partnership with employers, universities, colleges and professional bodies to create stronger links between education and industry. The growth of Graduate Apprenticeships supports the Scottish Government’s ambition to create 30,000 apprenticeship jobs a year by 2020.
The development of Graduate Apprenticeships has focused on a range of sectors that have a need for highly skilled jobs. In order to allow apprentices to spend most of their time in the workplace, RGU provides the majority of the course online.
Established in 1990, Meston Reid & Co is a chartered accountancy practice with strong expertise in tax, audit, insolvency, corporate finance, business advisory, payroll and landed estates. The firm, based at Carden Place, has a broad range of clients, from sole traders to large businesses with international operations.
Meston Reid