Saffery is part of a new Purpose Coalition project, alongside other leading accountancy firms, which has launched a programme of action to deliver equality of opportunity in the accountancy sector.
A report detailing the initiative, Breaking Down Barriers to Accountancy, was introduced in Parliament to an audience of professionals, MPs and policymakers.
The collaborative project saw eleven accountancy firms and a number of education institutions come together in a series of roundtables to develop strategies that will help ensure that opportunities within the accountancy profession are equally accessible to everyone.
The report sets out insights from the roundtables based on four key areas – outreach, access, recruitment and progression – and includes examples of best practice, as well as wide-ranging perspectives from participants on the challenges they continue to face.
The report also features a full set of recommendations for each area. They are intended to focus the sector’s efforts on attracting and retaining people from diverse backgrounds and groups who disproportionately face challenges and are traditionally underrepresented in the profession as a result.
Recommendations include:
- Targeting outreach and access work in social mobility cold spots, giving young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds the chance to gain exposure and insight into the profession,
- Seeking out the voice of young people, and the sector’s future employees, to help shape programmes and initiatives, and
- Continuing collaboration within the sector to amplify best practice and to share resource to overcome challenges.
Acknowledging the value of the project, Chair of the Purpose Coalition and former Education Secretary, Rt Hon Justine Greening, said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to bring leading representatives of the accountancy profession together to hear firsthand about the challenges the sector faces in maintaining a talent pipeline that is fully representative of the communities it serves. It was also important that we worked alongside Purpose Coalition education institutions so that the earlier stages of an individual’s route to an accountancy career were considered as part of the drive towards creating a more inclusive and equal industry.
“I hope that the detailed recommendations included in the report will be a valuable resource for other accountancy firms to help them develop and implement their own strategies so that the sector becomes one which creates opportunity for all, regardless of background or circumstance.”
Chair of the Breaking Down Barriers Commission and former member of Sir Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet, Nick Forbes CBE, said: “It is hugely important that businesses understand the barriers to opportunity that still prevent too many people from getting on. The work this innovative project has produced has shone a light on the wealth of best practice that the best companies are already undertaking but also highlighted where barriers still remain. Crucially, it provides the tools that can help shape the future of the accountancy sector so that it can attract and retain talent wherever it is found.”
Social mobility is a focus area for Saffery and the report launched at the House of Commons yesterday is testimony to a growing commitment in the sector. We will closely review the recommendations made in the report to take our social mobility aspirations further and will continue taking a lead, alongside fellow firms, to ensure accountancy is an open, accessible and inclusive place for everyone.
For more information, read The Breaking Down Barriers to Accountancy report.