Former students returned to Ashton Sixth Form College to speak to Accounting students about their experiences after completing their A-Levels. 

Luke McCormick (pictured above) and Jake Schofield (pictured below) studied at Ashton Sixth Form College from 2014-2016. Luke studied Accounting, Business and Economics, and Jake studied Accounting, Economics and Graphic Design. While at Ashton, they both applied to join Grant Thornton LLP on the Access Accountancy Scheme and were successful at gaining a place amongst strong competition. Following the completion of their A-Levels, they then joined one of the world's largest professional services networks in the world at their Manchester offices in August 2016. 

The firm states, "Grant Thornton UK LLP is part of the Grant Thornton network of independent assurance, tax and advisory firms in over 135 countries" (grantthornton.co.uk).

During their three years with Grant Thornton so far, they have gained a wealth of experience and are now established in their roles as Audit Associates. Alongside their employment with the firm, they have been gaining their accounting qualifications under the AAT professional body to further their understanding of the industry and excel their careers. 

Luke and Jake spoke to first year Accounting students about the application process to join Grant Thornton on an apprenticeship. They also spoke about the benefits of joining a company straight after college and the on-the-job skills they have benefited from, in contrast to the more traditional university route. 

Alumni visits such as this, also allow current students to ask former students questions who have a shared understanding of what it is like to study at Ashton. They are also shown alternative routes in to the Accounting industry that could inspire them to pursue a similar career pathway. 

Find out more about studying Accounting at Ashton here.