KPMG and UCC agree five year business education partnership

KPMG Partners Barrie O’Connell and Celine Fox with Professors John O’Halloran, UCC Interim President and Ursula Kilkelly, Head, College of Business and Law at the announcement of KPMG’s five-year partnership with UCC. Picture: Julien Behal

UCC's business school has announced a five-year partnership with KPMG that will see €600k in funding to be distributed over a five-year period

The bursary will see KPMG provide funds to the University’s Business School for a range of student engagement activities, including scholarships, work experience and events.

KPMG will also create a dedicated Cork University Business School (CUBS) Research, Learning, and Teaching Development Fund to support the continued growth of its Accounting and Finance department. It will include supporting a faculty position for the department.

One of the big four accounting firms, KPMG has over 3,500 people in offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast. It sources a significant number of graduates from UCC each year.

KPMG’s Managing Partner, Seamus Hand said investing in education and training was one of their core principles. 

"This five-year sponsorship with Cork University Business School reinforces our commitment to continuous learning and recognises the vital role of our third-level institutions in Irish education and business”.

Professor Thia Hennessy, Dean, Cork University Business School said the partnership will maximise the potential of students and the impact of graduates. "The partnership will help us to continue providing our students with the ambition and knowledge to become the trailblazers that will shape how organisations put sustainability at the heart of business."