PwC recruiters say A-level results unfairly aid private school pupils
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Version 0 of 1. The international accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) plans a radical move to ditch A-level results for recruiting graduates because of the unfair advantage given to independent school pupils. PwC, one of the largest recruiters of graduates in the UK, said it would “miss out on key talent from disadvantaged backgrounds” unless it stopped using A-levels and similar exams as part of its graduate recruitment efforts. The firm said it would no longer use the so-called Ucas tariff – a system that converts A-level grades and other exam results into a points total – as a requirement for its graduate programme after finding that one in three of its graduate recruits had been privately educated. The move is a recognition that exam results can be distorted by school type and follows long-standing evidence that state-educated students outperform their peers from private schools in terms of final university degree. “As a progressive employer, we recognise that talent and potential presents itself in different ways and at different stages in people’s lives,” said Gaenor Bagley, a member of PwC’s executive board and head of the firm’s human resources. “Removing the Ucas criteria will create a fairer and more modern system in which students are selected on their own merit, irrespective of their background.“By breaking down social barriers, we will open the door to thousands of students who may have previously thought a graduate role with PwC was out of reach for them.” The decision came after PwC became frustrated that its previous efforts at outreach had been unable to deepen the pool of potential recruits. The move was applauded by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) for tackling “a barrier to social mobility”. “This is an innovate step by one of the most significant graduate recruiters in the UK. Other graduate employers should follow their lead,” said Stephen Isherwood of the AGR. PwC’s current scheme requires applicants for its prestigious management consultancy division to have at least 340 points on the Ucas tariff. That would equate to at least two A-levels at A grade and one at B. But the score can be boosted by other qualifications, including a merit in a grade six music exam counting for 40 points, while a pass at stage three of the British Horse Society’s riding certificate would add 35 points. The change is likely to affect graduates educated at selective state grammar schools, which produce similarly high A-level results but also tend to contain very few pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. PwC said: “The strong correlation that exists in the UK between social class and school academic performance suggests that by placing too much emphasis on Ucas scores, employers will miss out on key talent from disadvantaged backgrounds, who can perform less well at school. “Removing Ucas scores as an entry prerequisite follows analysis of applications to the firm from students who have not achieved the normally required A-level grades.” PwC said the change would enable the firm to diversify its graduate intake “through broader access to talented young people, who may not have strong historical academic performance at school but have gone on to perform well at university and have all-round proven capabilities”. News of PwC’s decision comes after the Independent Schools Council (ISC) revealed that the average cost of a private school education had risen to more than £13,000 a year for day pupils and £30,000 a year for boarders. The ISC argued that the reason parents were willing to pay such fees was, in part, down to the success of independent school pupils in achieving high A-level grades. |