As the academic year gets started again, a select group of school leavers will not be joining their class mates in university lecture halls for another year. 70 young people from across the UK have been awarded a gap year scholarship with Deloitte, the business advisory firm.

The nationwide gap year scheme offers schools leavers the chance to travel the world, while gaining some work experience and earn a good salary.  Participants in the ‘Scholars Scheme’ will join Deloitte offices around the country during autumn for a paid seven-month work placement. On completion they will also receive £1500 to fund gap year travel before starting university.

Scholars also receive an annual bursary of £1500 while at university and four weeks paid work experience each year. Typically Scholars undertake a broad range of degrees from history, languages and philosophy to physics and maths. Following university there is no obligation for Scholars to join Deloitte’s graduate programme, although in previous years it has been shown that many will.

Deloitte conducted a survey with their scholars about their gap year travel plans. The findings include:

• 55.5% of students surveyed planning to travel on their gap year foresee themselves spending £4000 or more;
• Only 5% of scholars have booked solely through a tour company;
• 58% have booked with a tour company and independently;
• The most popular destination is Asia with 32% of students travelling to this destination;
• Only 13% planning to travel to Europe;
• Only 12% plan to take part in charity work and learn another language.

Commenting on the scheme, Deloitte’s Graduate Recruitment Partner, Sarah Shillingford says: “School leavers are increasingly concerned about student debt and this scheme provides them with a significant contribution towards the cost of a university education and gap year travel plans. The students have taken the opportunity to save for their gap years, which many of them would not otherwise have been able to afford to do. It is a great opportunity for them to learn valuable business skills, earn some money, travel and broaden their horizons.

“Scholars make fantastic ambassadors for us on campus, and with the work experience they have gained, scholars are able to give other students a real flavour of what a career at Deloitte involves.

“This scheme provides talented school leavers with greater understanding of the business environment. Scholars are already educated to a high standard but the Scholar Scheme provides skills and insights into a corporate environment.  In addition, there is the opportunity at the end of the scheme to join Deloitte as a graduate.

“This is a great scheme that has been running for a number of years and demand from students means we have more than doubled the number of places since the scheme started.”

For more information about the Scholars Scheme go to: www.deloitte.co.uk/scholars

Notes for editors
The survey was conducted on a sample of 63 students. Case studies are available on request.

About Deloitte
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte & Touche LLP which is among the country’s leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting and corporate finance services. Deloitte & Touche LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (‘DTT’), a Swiss Verein whose member firms are separate and independent legal entities.  Neither DTT nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other’s omissions.  Services are provided by member firms or their subsidiaries and not by DTT.  Deloitte & Touche LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.  The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.