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PwC (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers), a leading name in the professional services sector and The Sunday Times’ Top Graduate Employer, has become one of the first recruiters to remove A’ Level requirements for new graduate job applications.

The employer, one of the biggest recruiters in the financial services graduate jobs market - and a company which receives an average of over 15 applications for each graduate job it offers - will no longer take A’ level results into consideration when they are assessing candidates for their graduate programmes.

PwC hopes that removing UCAS score requirements from their application process will level the playing field for candidates from a wider range of backgrounds and opportunity, leading in turn to greater social mobility and diversity in the UK graduate jobs market.

The PwC announcement has been welcomed by the Association of Graduate Recruiters, with chief executive, Stephen Isherwood, describing the move as an ‘innovative’ step and encouraging other graduate job recruiters to follow suit:

“Using a candidate's Ucas points to assess their potential is a blunt tool and a barrier to social mobility,” said Mr Isherwood.

PwC's head of student recruitment, Richard Irwin, explained more of the logic behind their pioneering strategy, saying: “We want to target bright, talented people and extend our career opportunities to untapped talent in wider pockets of society. Our experience shows that whilst A-level assessment can indicate potential, for far too many students there are other factors that influence results. Competition and assessment for our graduate roles will be as tough as ever - but those that want to get on with a career in business can do so.”

And head of people at PwC, Gaenor Bagley, added: “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 or where they are from. 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.”

Incidentally, we’re advertising some great PwC roles for undergraduates and graduates on site right now. If you want to forge your career with one of the very best graduate employers in the UK, then you need to check out what positions are currently on offer at PwC. Find out more about working at PwC now - or head straight for our listings of the latest vacancies at PwC.