A third of the recipients of a bursary award established by Johnston Carmichael to support accountancy students from the University of Aberdeen, have secured jobs with the firm, it has emerged.

Current and former recipients of the bursary award gathered to attend a celebration lunch in February. The event was attended by the firm’s chief executive, Sandy Manson and representatives from the University Development Trust, Business School and Careers Service.

The bursary, established in 2004, is an award of £1,000 plus up to 12 weeks of paid work experience in Johnston Carmichael’s corporate tax or audit teams and is open to all third year accountancy students. It enables undergraduates to gain a greater understanding of what the profession entails as they consider their career choices. Supporting and identifying the next generation is also integral to Johnston Carmichael’s learning and development strategy.

To date there have been 18 recipients of the bursary with six of the students going on to complete their professional accountancy qualifications and secure jobs with the firm.

Among the success stories of the scheme are Debbie Grieg, first recipient of the award, who is now a senior corporate tax manager and Raemond Jappy, 2005’s recipient, who has progressed to become a senior audit manager. Kirsty Lawrence, who won the award in 2008 is now a corporate finance manager.

Last year’s graduate, Holly Anderson, recently accepted a CA student role in the firm’s Glasgow office. She said: “The eight weeks I spent at Johnston Carmichael left me in no doubt that I wanted to become a chartered accountant. I found that I always had plenty of support and that the tasks I carried out were of great importance to the firm.

This year’s recipient is student Lauren Thomson, who will complete her work experience with the firm this summer. 

Sandy Manson said: “It’s incredible that such a significant proportion of the bursary students continue to progress their careers and achieve success at Johnston Carmichael.

“We’re very proud of our people development at Johnston Carmichael and our recipients’ lunch was a wonderful way to celebrate our continued partnership with the University of Aberdeen Business School.”

Lindsay Tibbetts, senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen Business School, said: “The bursary award provided by Johnston Carmichael goes beyond financial support as it offers students an insight into the workplace and a greater understanding of the profession. It’s very rewarding to see that so many of our former accountancy students continue to work for the firm and thrive in their careers.”