Lyons encourages application to PwC Professional Services Assured Skills Academy

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has encouraged all who are eligible and interested to apply for the Professional Services Assured Skills Academy with PwC.

PwC Professional Services Assured Skills Academy

Working across a range of service offerings including financial crime, compliance testing, customer management, PMO services and business operations the Academy is open to people with a 2:2 degree in any discipline or a Level 5 qualification (HND or Foundation degree) and some experience in an office, banking or professional environment.

The Assured Skills Academy will see 20 participants receive eight weeks of high quality industry-relevant pre-employment training delivered by Belfast Met.

Commenting on the Academy the Minister said: “I very much welcome the opportunity to highlight another Assured Skills Academy with PwC. This is an excellent opportunity for people seeking to start or change career in the professional services sector.

“I am committed to building the local skills base as a key part of the economic recovery and Assured Skills Academies have a proven track record of success in this area. This Academy, funded by my Department, will provide the skills needed for participants to start a career in financial services.

“Successful applicants to the Academy will receive £155 per week training allowance and will be strongly positioned to compete for a job upon completion. I urge anyone who is eligible and interested to apply for this exciting opportunity.”

Participants who complete the training will gain industry-recognised qualifications and are guaranteed a job interview for a role at PwC in Belfast.

Course content will cover areas including: project management, business analysis, commercial awareness, financial accounting, Microsoft and Google tools, data visualisation and design thinking and CIMA Fundamentals in Financial Accounting.

Deborah Stevenson, Operate Director at PwC, said: “We are incredibly proud to support our 20th Assured Skills Academy in collaboration with Belfast Met and the Department for the Economy. These academies are a unique offering to Northern Ireland, demonstrating our level of commitment and investment in building talent fit for a growing market.

“I have been fortunate enough to see graduates of these academies succeed in our business and go on to achieve great things. Our business is undoubtedly benefiting from the rich and diverse experiences of Academy participants.”

Louise Warde Hunter, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Met, said: “Belfast Met is proud to be a skills engine for our economy working with government and our industry partners. We are delighted to continue to deliver this successful series of Assured Skills Academies within the Professional Services sector and to driving jobs in vital growth sectors, enabling participants to begin their journey towards great careers. We look forward to welcoming our new cohort of learners.”

Applications for the PwC Professional Services Academy are open now and will close on 6 March 2002.

As restrictions ease training is likely to be a blend of onsite and online learning. Successful applicants will require appropriate IT access in order to link to the online tuition.   

Video interviews will be held on 15, 16 and 18 March 2022 and training will commence for successful applicants on 11 April.

More information and details on how to apply are available on the Department's website. 

Notes to editors: 

1. Assured Skills is a pre-employment training programme run by the Department for the Economy. More information is available on the DfE website.

2. To keep up to date with news from the Department you can follow us on the following social media channels:

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3. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk .

4. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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