BDO welcomes annual intake of 600 trainees
Professional services firm BDO has welcomed over 600 graduates, school leaver apprentices and industrial placements to the organisation. While other leading players in the consulting sector are downsizing their junior recruitment, BDO’s latest batch of trainees will remain at the level seen in previous years.
Anna Draper, head of people, culture and purpose at BDO, said, “Welcoming our new cohort of trainees to the firm is a huge privilege. Our success has always been built on people with ambition and curiosity. This new group of trainees brings all of that and more. I am excited to see the impact they’ll have on our firm, our clients and our communities.”
The over 600 trainees join the firm’s 8,000 strong workforce across its four core business areas – audit; tax; deals; and consulting, risk and outsourcing (CRO) – are a combination of school leaver apprentices, university graduates and students undertaking a 12-month industrial placement. Over half are based in regions outside of London.
In their first week, the trainees are attending a two-day induction at Wembley Stadium where they’ll gain insight into the firm’s culture and values, while also having the opportunity to network and collaborate with their new colleagues. BDO is also in its fifth year of delivering targeted insight programmes as part of its commitment to increasing diversity and improving social mobility within the profession.
This year the firm’s Explore BDO programme, designed specifically for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, saw a 75% increase in headcount, with 56 students from years 12-13 taking part. An additional 42 young people - a combination of year 12-13 students and university students - attended a Northern-specific lower socio-economic insight programme in the Leeds office this summer. Furthermore, numbers for BDO’s Black Heritage Programme, designed for second year university students, more than doubled this year with 43 students attending.
No junior slowdown
Draper added, “Social mobility is a strategic area of focus at BDO. We are passionate about improving access to the profession and we have some brilliant online programmes to support this too. In the last year, we’ve seen 4,500 young people sign up to our virtual work experience site and a further 2,000 active users on our online engagement platform. These initiatives help us access a broader pool of people and improves social mobility, diversity and inclusion, both in the profession and in society generally.”
The intake comes at a time when junior roles are increasingly under threat in the consulting sector. Driven by a post-pandemic consulting slump, and the need for cost-cutting measures, the largest firms are turning to more self-serving practices to meet client demands, such as reducing hiring and capitalising on the boom in AI to meet growing client demand – a move some industry experts warn could leave the future of the industry short on top talent.
However, mid-tier firms seem to be using the opportunity to strengthen their own credentials as a destination for new talent. BDO has consistently welcomed more than 600 trainees in 2025, 2024 and 2023, showing no signs of a desire to downsize its intake. Meanwhile, Bishop Fleming also recently announced it would be welcoming 70 new apprentices – as it looks to broaden its firm’s future horizons.
