Ernst & Young LLP marks fifth consecutive year as No. 1 ideal employer for accounting students and No. 4 for business majors

NEW YORK, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, college students ranked Ernst & Young LLP No. 1 in the accounting profession and No. 4 in the business field on the 2012 US Undergraduate Universum IDEAL™ Employer Survey, leading the Big Four in these categories.

Reinforcing the firm's continued commitment to its aggressive campus recruiting strategy, Ernst & Young LLP again plans to hire approximately 5,500 students in the US in fiscal year 2013, while expanding a range of initiatives benefitting young professionals. Last year, the firm projected it would hire 5,200 students and is on track to close its fiscal year on June 30, 2012, hiring nearly 6% more students for a total of 5,500.

The Universum IDEAL™ Employer Survey is conducted annually in the US at nearly 220 leading universities. This year more than 59,000 students participated, responding to questions about their career expectations and how they perceive companies as employers.

"We're committed to building lifelong relationships with our people and this often starts on college campuses," says Dan Black, Ernst & Young LLP's Director of Campus Recruiting. "We're proud to see the results of our tremendous recruiting momentum and continuous innovation on campus are once again reflected in the feedback of college students who identified us as an ideal employer in our industry and among business majors."

Ernst & Young LLP has launched, and plans to expand, a number of successful programs to strengthen its ability to attract and develop top talent from the college crowd.

New Horizons Program – Piloted in the Americas in 2011, the New Horizons program is a three-month international rotation for professionals early in their careers working on accounts that touch several countries in the area. Last year, more than 20 participants successfully completed the program between the US, Canada and Brazil. The number of participants will more than double in 2012, representing all service lines at the firm for an exchange between US/Canada and the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Israel and Mexico.

Global Student Exchange Program – This internship program, launched last year, offers overseas assignments for select summer interns. Participants kick off their internship in the US and spend four weeks abroad at another Ernst & Young location within the organization's global network, before returning to the US to complete their experience. Participants include US students going abroad and non-US students coming into the US.

In 2011, the program included 35 participants and five host countries (Australia, Canada, China, UK and the US). For 2012, the program will grow to more than 50 participants and 10 host countries, including new host countries Germany, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal and Romania.

"We're finding that young professionals are both bringing increased global experience and demanding it in future employers," said Black. "That's why we're so proud to offer both opportunities for our interns to gain global experience before many of them join us full-time, or for our young professionals to benefit from a range of mobility options shortly after they join us. Mobility could mean a quick trip overseas for a client engagement or a domestic or international rotation. We're committed to creating the right mobility culture for our people and clients to develop the next generation of global business leaders."

Emerging Leaders Summit (ELS) – ELS is a two-and-a-half day conference for students in their sophomore to senior years who have demonstrated leadership potential through their academic and personal lives. The summit will be held June 20-22, 2012, in Washington, D.C., and will convene 250 students for presentations and breakout sessions on a variety of topics and interactive case studies — up from 238 participants last year. Stephen Howe Jr., Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, will join students for this year's event.

International Intern Leadership Conference – In its 16th consecutive year, Ernst & Young will host its International Intern Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, Aug. 1-4, 2012. This year the firm will expand the program by more than 300 participants to 2,200. Last year, interns in attendance represented 29 countries, the largest international showing to date. Interns participate in classroom learning and team building experiential learning activities.

"The continued growth of our intern programming is promising news for college students, as more than 90% of Ernst & Young interns convert to full-time hires after they graduate," said Black.

About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

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Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited that provides professional services to clients in the US.

SOURCE Ernst & Young LLP