How do we attract and retain the very best possible people into the profession, regardless of background or circumstance? From all I have seen to date, the issue is less about raw talent, of which there is plenty, than aspiration. How do you encourage a bright young person who has the potential to join our profession but absolutely no concept of how to go about it, what a career in our sector looks like or what the rewards might be?
Part of the solution is a more innovative approach to internships as you can read about in our interview with Neil Sherlock of KPMG in this month’s Accountancy magazine.
It is also about our broader commitment to financial capability at all levels. If we can fire the imagination of a 10-year-old through our outreach programme with schools, there is the very real possibility that he or she will be inspired to think about a career with us further down the line.
We have recently been asked to participate in a government-led committee on behalf of the UK profession, which will explore these issues in detail.
Of course, it is not just about access to the profession. It is also about providing those in the profession with the flexibility to be able to build their career around wider commitments. How, for example, do we encourage women on maternity leave, or indeed those people on career breaks for whatever reason, to come back to work in a way that enables them to balance their wider priorities? The institute is running dedicated professional development courses targeted at just these constituencies.
As we move forward, I want our profession to represent the full breadth of talent available.