Since our last newsletter, the mood across the sector has been a curious mix of pressure and possibility. Job cuts and rescinded placements are real, and we feel them keenly for our students. But alongside the difficulty, the community has never felt more generous. At our recent committee meeting the group shared a frank mix of joys and challenges; what follows captures some of them.
Much of that conversation circles back to value. With apprenticeships rising and degrees questioned, it is worth saying plainly what university offers when students embrace it. The personal, professional and intellectual development that happens across three years is not something you can download. Students grow into judgement, scepticism and self-awareness in a way no shortcut delivers.
This year's Evolution of Mid-Tier Accountancy Firms research sharpens why that development matters. These firms expect the role of the accountant to pivot away from routine compliance towards judgement, systems thinking and ethical oversight, with 83% agreeing the profession is being redefined rather than diminished. The skills that mid-tier firms flag as gaps tell the include AI assurance, followed by data, sustainability reporting and resilience. The technical, meanwhile, is assumed. What firms want, and what we must deliberately cultivate, is the human and digital capability that sits on top of it.
The entry picture is shifting towards school leavers rather than shrinking.
Mid-tier firms expect to rebalance their trainee intake with 67% planning to increase or maintain of school leavers (26% planning to decrease), and 51% expect to increase or maintain graduate trainee numbers (40% planning to decrease). That rebalancing owes much to cost, with the report pointing to changes in Level 7 apprenticeship funding and rising employer National Insurance. The deeper point for us is that with career structures more compressed, firms want broader, more adaptable skillsets earlier which is exactly what a good degree develops as we discussed in our recent webinar.
Many students now begin at a higher level, no longer building expertise by ticking invoices as we did, which makes university the place where judgement is cultivated first. That is an opportunity, not a threat as higher education becomes where the qualities firms most want are deliberately grown. What sets strong future accountants apart is human skill, professional scepticism and digital fluency, from Python and Sage to working confidently with AI.
It's hard to move anywhere without talking about AI, especially in education, where the link between effort and output has weakened and that changes how we assess. Prohibition alone will not hold, so much of the energy now goes into building assessments students genuinely engage with that ask them to demonstrate judgement rather than reproduce content. Good AI principles help here that students retain their authorial voice, take responsibility for the accuracy of their work, and use AI to augment thinking rather than replace it. That includes turning professional scepticism on the tool itself as it can be confidently, stubbornly wrong, with no humility about it, and students need the instinct to catch this and critically ignore it. You can find our more about using AI in accounting education in our recent webinar
Partner-enabled learning, placements and stronger employer and alumni links all help, even as we wrestle with the long timescales for changing courses and squeeze new skills — and a little smuggled-in sustainability — into an already full syllabus.
The challenges are real, but so is the appetite to meet them together, thoughtfully and creatively. We felt it at that same committee meeting, where each member spoke uninterrupted and we hope the above resonates with some of the issues you are facing. If you are seeking this Accounting Cafe's cafe-style sessions are built around a space to speak, to be heard, and the reminder that we are not alone. Anyone who would value that is welcome to join.
They are also running a a short, anonymous survey for anyone who helps people learn accounting, whether in a school, a college, a university or a training room. It takes about five minutes. How does it feel to teach accounting right now? That’s the question behind the Accounting Educator Barometer. Add your voice
Jenni and Toby
*the views expressed are the author’s and not ICAEW’s
