Transparency Report 2023 - Celebrating 20 years of our Flying Start Programme transcript

Chris Shepherd:
Hi, I’m here today with Anna and with Manraj to talk about our PwC Flying Start programme, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, something that we're all really proud of. The Flying Start programme gives you the opportunity to immediately start a career earning money while gaining a university degree at the same time. In 2020, I was admitted to the firm’s partnership as the first person to make partner through the Flying Start programme. My journey to making partner began over 19 years ago when I started at Newcastle University in 2003 on the Flying Start degree.

So Anna, if I start with you first, I'd love to hear about your experience on the Flying Start Programme.

Anna Cromwell:
Thanks Chris. I joined the University of Manchester in 2020 and I'm now currently on my third year in this course, currently on a placement here in Embankment. I joined the degree because I really like the balance between the work life and the university and the education and the fact that we can get so far in our careers at such a young age. So, for example, the average age to become chartered is 27 and I'm on track to becoming chartered by 23, which is something that's really exciting to me.

Chris Shepherd:
Manraj, why don’t you tell me about your experience?

Manraj Nagra:
Yeah absolutely. So I did the Flying Start course up in Newcastle as well. I graduated in 2014, so I've been at PwC full-time now for nine years, the bit that I've really enjoyed is meeting new clients and I really enjoy meeting new people and working with different teams and I've managed to do a few global kind of trips, so a lot of clients in the US. I’ve been to the US a couple times and just working on those multinational audits is really interesting to me.

Chris Shepherd:
And if I reflect upon my time when I was on the course, I remember one of the things I valued was the placements giving you a break between studying - the placement then was great - and then going back and doing the exams and of course earning some money while you're at university was obviously great.

Anna Cromwell:
Definitely, being on placement now, it's definitely nice knowing that my next six month period at university is sort of funded in a way and that I can live a more stable, sustainable lifestyle, which compared to most uni students is definitely a luxury.

Manraj Nagra:
Yeah, no, I definitely agree, the money definitely helps and funds a few adventures, no doubt. I guess that the other piece for me is just really that transition to work; the placements help make that transition slightly easier. So the fact that you get a job, you get your ACA qualification and a degree, I can really see why the course is called Flying Start.