The KPMG Traineeship Pathway, in collaboration with FDM

What is a traineeship?

School leavers are faced with some big decisions that can shape the direction of their future career and life. Some prefer to pursue an academic pathway and head straight to university. While others feel better suited to gaining experience and learning in a work environment.

For these experiential learners, a traineeship presents an attractive option. As a trainee, they can be learning in an area that they’re specifically interested in one day and be applying it to the real world the next. One of the key advantages of a traineeship in the modern age is that trainees are paid employees and do not have to incur significant student loan debts so often associated with university degrees.

The KPMG Traineeship Program in collaboration with FDM

In 2022 KPMG and FDM launched the KPMG Technology Traineeship Pathway to offer high school leavers an alternative pathway to launch an exciting tech career.

This unique 3-year program allows high-school finishers to combine fully funded training and work experience, with a salary and employee benefits effective from day one. Through the program trainees will acquire a Certificate III in Information Technology, a nationally recognised tertiary qualification.

To introduce this new initiative KPMG and FDM enthusiastically approached schools in Western Sydney and, due to Covid-19 restrictions, ran a number of virtual information sessions. To apply, students submitted a 300-word Expression of Interest essay describing what excited them about this path to a tech career. Suitable candidates then took part in two short assessment interviews to be sure that the traineeship aligned with their goals.

The inaugural cohort began on February 14, 2022, with 11 Trainees commencing the program.

The KPMG Technology Traineeship Pathway, in collaboration with FDM, is the first program of its kind that the FDM Group has worked on. It reflects the Group’s ongoing commitment to creating and implementing new ways to offer greater access to tech careers. This program is an opportunity for young, keen tech talent from under-represented groups to gain training, qualifications, and meaningful employment within technology.

Committed to trainee success

As part of the KPMG Technology Traineeship Pathway, Trainees rotate through 3 different KPMG technology business units each year. To ensure they have the support they need to thrive, they are provided access to key initiatives including the FDM Mentoring Program, Online Learning and Development and the KPMG Buddy Program.

KPMG and FDM co-develop learning materials for a 3-week training period that prepares them prior to each rotation. Their training weeks are broken into 4 days at the FDM Academy and 1 day attending a registered training organisation as part of their Certificate III in Information Technology studies.

Once in a rotation period within a KPMG business unit, Trainees work alongside senior team members and gain experience working as part of different teams, facing different challenges.

Not only is this invaluable experience and professional development that they would not obtain at university, it exposes trainees to a range of options to help make decisions on a future career path.

Outstanding benefits to support a career in tech

The advantages that trainees receive during this program can be seen to be greater than the sum of its parts. It’s more than a job and more than an education. 

At the successful completion of the 3-year pathway, trainees emerge with tertiary IT qualifications. But they will also have spent time learning alongside experienced colleagues while gaining work and life experiences that are highly valued. Employers and professional teams place higher worth on individuals with this background than those who have gone straight from school to university.

The workplace cannot be equalled for developing professional skills such as working in teams, communication, expressing your own ideas and listening to those of others. Trainees will come to understand, first-hand, the importance of demonstrating responsibility, earning trust, developing discipline and motivation.

It’s an opportunity that benefits them not just now – but far into the future. They will have built a strong career foundation for the next and each successive stepping-stone on their career journey. They can specialise as they progress and focus on building skills at this critical development phase of their career.

This also offers them scope on an international scale – the world is truly at their feet.

Following the success of the initial, KPMG and FDM are excitedly looking to plan the roll-out of a second cohort for a start in early 2023.