KPMG has kicked off the month of September with 260 new graduates in Saudi Arabia.
Part of KPMG’s annual post-summer graduate intake, the cohort of new graduates have been admitted into two different career development programs.
170 graduates have started the Advisory Graduate Program, a brand new two-year program that provides juniors access to the various disciplines and solution groups within the Advisory business.
KPMG’s Advisory arm is recognised as one of Saudi Arabia’s top consulting firms, and works across all conceivable fields including strategy, mergers & acquisitions, supply chain & operations, finance, risk management, procurement, digital, innovation, and technology implementation.
“The launch of the Advisory Graduate Program is part our commitment to invest in the promising Saudi talent. We want to play a key role in developing the careers of these future leaders for the benefit of the Kingdom,” said Islam Albayaa, Head of Advisory at KPMG in Saudi Arabia. “At KPMG, we are of proud our family culture and strong values and we are excited to onboard this group of young talented graduates to our family.”
“Our Advisory graduates will gain exposure to operational complexities, obtain technical expertise, and learn to deal with today’s rapidly changing marketplace,” he continued.
Meanwhile, a group of 90 graduates have joined the three-year SOCPA Audit Program. This program develops juniors into certified external auditors, among others through providing access to SOCPA or CPA professional qualifications.
Nationalization
Beyond KPMG’s ambition to scale its business, the two programs are also an integral pillar of the firm’s Saudi nationalization ambition.
In April, Saudi’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced that it expects Saudi nationals to occupy 40% of consulting industry positions by 2024. KPMG has been working towards such targets for years, both through graduate intakes as well as lateral hires from industry.
“These programs are a significant nationalization effort, bringing 260 young Saudi nationals on board as fulltime employees for a two- and three-year on-the-job training program. We firmly believe that KPMG can empower young Saudi graduates by equipping them with the best tools to launch their careers and reach their full potential,” commented Abdullah Al Fozan, Chairman and CEO of KPMG in Saudi Arabia and multiple other countries.
Sourced from Consultancy-me