Talented young accountants from Azets UK will fly the flag for Yorkshire after winning through to the national finals of a prestigious contest.
Matthew Cooper, Izzy Thompson and Tom Lalley are aiming for the number one spot in this year’s WorldSkills UK Accounting Technician Competition after battling through tough regional heats.
The trio – who have all just become Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualified – will be one of just six teams in the two-day national final at Oldham College on November 20 and 21.
They work for UK top 10 accountancy and advisory firm Azets UK, which employees 335 people at its three offices in Yorkshire in Leeds, Bradford and York.
WorldSkills UK holds the annual competition to help young people grow personally and professionally by developing their technical and employability skills.
Erin Knapp, an Azets UK senior manager who mentors the team, said: “Congratulations to Matthew, Izzy and Tom.
“It is a tremendous achievement to become one of just a handful of teams from across the whole country to reach the national final.
“Their success is richly deserved recognition for all of the time, commitment and hard work they have put into the competition as well as into their career development at Azets.”
Russell Turner, Azets UK regional managing director for Yorkshire, said: “Matthew, Izzy and Tom represent the many talented and dedicated trainees at Azets where we believe that supporting and developing the next generation is crucial for the future of our business and the success of our clients.
“Everyone at the firm is firmly behind them and wishes them the very best of luck for the final in November.”
Matthew, Izzy and Tom are based in Azets’ York office.
The gruelling regional heats included an exam, which the team passed with flying colours at 90%, and then the national qualifiers when they had to prepare a case study and present their findings to a panel of judges.
Judges said that they were technically excellent, applied their knowledge well and delivered a confident and polished performance.
Azets has recruited 333 new graduates and school leavers across its UK business in the past 12 months, with 201 joining in the autumn, including 35 in Yorkshire.
Its graduate route is a three or four-year programme where students study toward their chartered accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CTA or ICAS).
The school leaver route is a six-year programme which includes two apprenticeship programmes leading to the student becoming Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualified and then moving onto their chartered accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CTA or ICAS).
WorldSkills UK is a partnership between education, industry and government to make the UK a skills economy.
