Pictured: Jonathan Dodworth, Partner at Deloitte in the West Midlands, with 52 of the 60 graduates who have been taken on by the firm at its Birmingham office this year. Rachel Coleman, quoted, is the first person on the left in the front row.

Sixty graduates, nearly half of which have come from local universities, have started work at Deloitte's Birmingham office. 

The graduates join more than a thousand others across the UK starting their careers at Deloitte this Autumn, a record number for the business advisory firm. 

Working across the firm's audit, tax and enterprise risk services divisions the graduates will each undertake a practical and theoretical training programme, ensuring a thorough understanding of the business alongside development of key skills. 

Rachel Coleman, who studied Maths and French at the University of Birmingham was one of 700 applicants that applied to the Birmingham office, and is now in her fourth week. "I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that I had been successful. It really is a worrying time for graduates with many not finding a job after University. Good opportunities like this are limited and competition is fierce."

Jonathan Dodworth, Partner at Deloitte in the West Midlands, comments; "Recruiting the best people is integral to our continuing success as a business, and I am delighted with the calibre of graduates that are starting with us this year. 

"They're joining at an exciting time for us here in the West Midlands and I look forward to seeing their careers develop at Deloitte."

Twenty-eight of the 60 graduates come from local universities; 16 from the University of Birmingham, nine from the University of Warwick, two from Aston University, and one from Birmingham City University.