National Apprenticeship Week, 6-12 February 2023, brings together the entire apprenticeship community to celebrate everything that is amazing about apprenticeships. The theme for this year is ‘Skills for Life’ and in recent years, Xaverian College has been celebrating the success of many students that have progressed to sought-after Higher and Degree-Level Apprenticeships.
Remsha Sultana from the ‘Class of 2019’ is a former student of Xaverian who followed the Apprentice route as way into the world of Accounting and Taxation. After studying A Levels in Accounting, Economics and Mathematics during her two years at the College, she commented: “It’s hard to pick a favourite subject but I enjoyed Accounting and Economics equally and my teachers in both were amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed the friendly environment and the support we had with our transition from high school. The focus was always on working towards our career goals, and introducing us to the various pathways we could follow.
High School: St Peter’s RC High School, Company: PwC UK Management Consultants, Xaverian College Subjects: Accounting A Level, Economics A Level, Mathematics A Level
Remsha always knew she wanted to undertake an Apprenticeship in the corporate world after visiting accountants, Ernst & Young (EY), whilst at High School in Year 10 and hearing about the career opportunities at the firm. She said: “During Year 12, I heard about the summer programmes EY and PwC UK had to offer, so I applied to both and fortunately was given the offer to complete both. This provided me with an insight into the world of management accounting and confirmed that it would be something I wanted to pursue in the future.”
Remsha joined PwC UK on the Tax School Leaver Programme and this has given her the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience whilst studying towards professional qualifications from ATT, CTA and ACCA. Remsha commented: “I started as a Senior Associate in the Innovation and Capital Incentives Team, which is a specialist team within Corporate Tax, helping clients submit their research and development claims. My responsibilities revolve around maintaining client relationships, working on technical deliverables and project management.”
Being part of the Apprenticeship has enabled Remsha to build her network of contacts and get a head start in building her corporate portfolio. In the future, she hopes to specialise in Research and Development and progress to more senior roles at PwC UK. She added: “I’m thankful that I took the opportunity to explore the various pathways available after A Levels, and I’m extremely thankful to my teachers at Xaverian for pushing me to do my best and motivating me to achieve my goals. I am more confident now about my future career, having made great networks and relationships within PwC UK. I look forward to the many more great experiences and realising the plans I have for the future!”
