A group of Keele professional services and academic staff recently met with some senior accountants, including representatives from Geens Ltd, Phillips Chartered Accountants, John Capper & Co and the ICAEW, to discuss new talent requirements including the most wanted skills and how at Keele we can support students when entering the accountancy profession.

At Keele University, the commitment to student development, graduate outcomes and employer engagement is paramount.

By engaging with employers, the University is able to fully understand the knowledge, skills and attributes that are required from graduates, ensuring that Keele students are prepared and equipped to succeed in the world of work.

Stakeholder collaboration and the co-creation and co-delivery of academic and development programmes is now commonplace at Keele and is being driven forward by the Employability and Employer Engagement Team within the Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence (KIITE).

The meeting was headed by Terry Dray, Associate Director for Employability and Employer Engagement at Keele:

“The session followed a conversation that I had with Chris Beeston, Tax Director at Geens Ltd, at a recent Finest Board Meeting. We both agreed that it would be beneficial to get together and discuss how Keele Talent can transition seamlessly into the profession.

“During the meeting, it was pleasing to hear how the skills and knowledge possessed by our graduates generally match those required and expected by the industry. There are some gaps to fill, but we now have a clearer idea of how, together, we can address these.

“Conversations like this ensure that we are delivering academic programmes that reflect the demands of the professional world and provide a talent pipeline that will hit the ground running. We are actively seeking more conversations like this one across a wide range of professions and sectors, and would very much encourage interested parties to get in touch.”

Find out more about Keele Talent.