EY drop 2.1 requirement
One of the largest graduate employers in the UK, professional services firm EY are doing away with their 2.1 entry requirement.
EY no longer require applicants to their graduate schemes to have earned a 2.1 degree. The decision comes out of an 18-month analysis of the firm's selection process conducted by talent management firm Capp, which found that EY's strengths-based application process is a more reliable indicator of a graduate's future success than their academic qualifications.
In force for EY's 2016 graduate schemes, the firm has also decided against taking A Levels into consideration. Graduates had previously been required to have achieved a minimum 300 UCAS points to be eligible to apply.
Managing partner for Talent at EY Maggie Stilwell believes the change will work long-term to improve the calibre of employees at the firm by opening the door for applicants to succeed based on merit.
"At EY we are modernising the workplace, challenging traditional thinking and ways of doing things. Transforming our recruitment process will open up opportunities for talented individuals regardless of their background and provide greater access to the profession," she says.
Recruiting Leader Dan Richards agrees that the new focus will give a wider range of candidates the best possible chance to progress.
"At EY we want to attract the brightest and most talented individuals. The changes we have made to our recruitment process will help us to access the widest and deepest possible talent pools. We want to give every candidate the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths and their potential in our selection process," he says.
Stilwell concedes that grades will still be considered, but that they will no longer be a restricting factor in selecting applicants.
"Academic qualifications will still be taken into account and indeed remain an important consideration when assessing candidates as a whole, but will no longer act as a barrier to getting a foot in the door."
She explains that Capp's research has shown little correlation between academic achievement and professional accomplishment. "Our own internal research of over 400 graduates found that screening students based on academic performance alone was too blunt an approach to recruitment. It found no evidence to conclude that previous success in higher education correlated with future success in subsequent professional qualifications undertaken.
"Instead, the research shows that there are positive correlations between certain strengths and success in future professional qualifications. Transforming our recruitment policy is intended to create a more even and fair playing field for all candidates, giving every applicant the opportunity to prove their abilities."
EY are not the first to shift the focus in their application process. Fellow international corporation PwC announced earlier this year that they would be no longer using A Levels.
EY will use a new online 'strengths' assessment process with applicants to their 2016 Graduate Schemes, which will continue to launch throughout the coming months.