Thank you for downloading this programme. In this edition of the bottom line, we're looking at a new generation of apprenticeships and asking, is it their time to shine?

Hello and welcome to the programme. The word apprenticeship is perhaps associated with the 1960s and on-the-job training and some kind of metal bashing.

And frankly, ever since, the brighter school leavers have thought of university as the preferred,

or indeed only route to career success.

But maybe that has now gone too far.

Have we reached peak college?

And I asked that because last month, some of the higher-level apprenticeship schemes

began to be offered on the UCAS website, the University College Admissions website.

There is a new generation of apprenticeships, many in professional services, some lead to a degree.

And these schemes are targeted at highly qualified school leavers with, by the way, the attraction of earning while learning rather than paying.

What's not to like?

So today we'll be assessing this development of career without going to uni.

And joining me are three guests who can help us understand that world.

My first is Gainer Bagley, who has a title Head of Corporate Purpose at PWC, the

huge accounting firm. And before that, you were head of people, or what we used to call

HR Gaynor. Just tell us about your route into your career. So I went to university. I went

the more standard route. I then trained as an accountant on the job, I guess, got my professional qualification, left the profession, rejoined. I'm a tax piloted by background. And then I became a strange job of head of head of people. Did that for five years. And that was the five years over which we developed the apprenticeship program. I'm now head of corporate purpose, in fact.

I love these fancy names.

Now, just there's a huge graduate recruitment by PWC and the other big accounting firms.

I think probably you're the biggest graduate employers, if I'm not mistaken.

Oh, I would think so teach first would be up amongst us, but we would be the largest graduate recruiter.

So how many graduates do you take on in the year? So we take 1300 graduates. In every sort of every year.

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