The UK's top graduate recruiter has remodelled its candidate assessment method in a bid to widen its talent pool and rely less on academic qualifications.
The new application method from professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) focuses on the candidates' abilities "in the moment".
Under the new Inspired Talent access route, candidates who do not have the required 2:1 degree or 300-340 Ucas points can apply for a place on the company's scheme, while those with the required qualifications can follow the old route.
The new, broader assessment procedure will see candidates sitting for online tests assessing their numeracy, judgement skills and 'intellectual capability'.
After the tests, the applicants have to submit a business case to display their drive, resilience, entrepreneurial and commercial skills. Success at this stage will lead the candidates to the main recruitment process.
The new approach will be applied to PWC's graduate scheme that provides employment to more than 1,000 university pass-outs every year.
Sonja Stockton, head of recruitment at PwC, said that with an increasing number of students collecting 2:1 degrees, she now wants to "actively select talent" based on more diverse criteria, providing graduates with a "foot in the door in a different way to the 2:1 entrance".
