BUSINESS advisers Deloitte has announced plans to recruit at least 60 new apprentices.
It is the third intake of school leavers to the firm's BrightStart programme in Belfast.
It offers a five-year training and development programme which sees school leavers start employment with Deloitte while also gaining an degree in business technology through Ulster University.
Forty young people joined Deloitte in the 2016 intake and started their professional careers and studies at Ulster University last month.
The number of participants has increased every year since the scheme was launched in 2015.
Plans for the latest scheme were launched as Prince Andrew visited Deloitte's technology studio in Belfast.
Deloitte's senior partner in Northern Ireland Jackie Henry said: “We were delighted to have welcomed the Duke of York to our Belfast technology studio and to have him launch our new BrightStart programme.
"We know he is a big supporter of enterprise-focused education and apprenticeships and he provided great encouragement to the young people on our BrightStart programme.
“Deloitte has really ambitious growth plans and we want to continue to tap into the rich vein of talent that exists among local school leavers. We have had great success with the first two years of the programme and that has given us confidence to increase our intake yet again.
“We have found that the BrightStarts who have joined the firm bring a different sort of energy, drive and ambition and their raw ability is helping us to be even more innovative.
"Deloitte’s commitment to hiring new talent has been a key component of our strong track record in devising leading edge solutions to the business issues facing our clients.”
Deloitte’s Belfast practice has been on a major recruitment drive in the past two years and in May this year committed to an employment target of 1,000 staff in the north by 2020, which would make it the firm’s largest UK office outside London.
