The main theme of the discussion was on how to make the accounting profession more attractive to Gen Z and Gen Alpha individuals and for employers to understand what they could do differently to connect with a generation of talent whose very identity has been shaped by the digital age.

Ayesha Kashif, who is studying at the Claude Littner Business School (CLBS) and is Course Representative for Level 4, shared her thoughts on how demotivating the AI-based hiring platform Hirevue can be for candidates, as it removes the human touch from the recruitment process. She felt that companies should at the very least provide feedback when rejecting candidates.

Some companies share informal videos in their office settings expressing what they are looking for in new candidates and this really resonates with us,”

she said.

We like authentic, personalised content, and if that also includes people of colour, even better!”

Shafinaz Shaikh, who is Course Representative for Level 5, said:

It was such an experience! I loved talking to everyone at the ACCA headquarters and from the different firms that joined. We got the opportunity to put forward our thoughts and I felt heard by everyone.”

Ashley Harrison, Business Development Manager at ACCA, said:

Ayesha and Shafinaz were both amazing ambassadors for UWL and made significant contributions to a roundtable of 30 experienced professionals.

Shafinaz was able to confidently share firsthand experience of working with social media through her alumni role, as well as her experiences of engaging with employers and the recruitment process.

Ayesha was fantastic at sharing her personal experiences, opinions and suggestions on how she would like organisations to engage with her and Gen Z.”

• Find out more about studying BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance at UWL