How similar is the Business Modelling and Analytics Graduate Programme to the Transaction Diligence Graduate Programme

Hi, thanks for your question! I don't know much about the Business Modelling & Analytics programme, but I've had a read over the application page and I can see some similarities between that and what I do in transaction diligence. The application page states that they use Alteryx and PowerBI which are tools I am very familiar with using in TD, although for me whether or not these tools are used ultimately depends on the project you are on and the team you are working with - so there are projects where they might not be used at all. Whereas, I would assume the Modelling & analytics programme is much more focused on data analytics so if you were looking to get into a role where this is the focus then this programme might be more relevant for you.

As you probably know from working in M&A, transaction diligence has many forms but ultimately it is due diligence performed on behalf of a buyer/seller ahead of a transaction. From the application page it seems that the modelling & analytics programme is less narrowly defined than transaction diligence, so in terms of the actual nature of project work, it may be more varied. That being said, if you enjoy working in the transactions environment, it does say that they do transaction related modelling also as well as these other types of projects, so you might get the best of both worlds in this scheme. Based on my analytics experience, this type of work could include producing visualisations of revenue or cost analysis using client data for example, to allow the client to drill down into what is driving trends. You'd likely be spending time processing and cleansing raw data into a form that can be input into a visualisation tool such as PowerBI, and using this to generate a dashboard. That is typically the extent to which we use analytics to in transaction diligence, and I would assume that in the modelling & analytics programme you would also be producing far more complicated and sophisticated analysis.

From what you've said, it seems like you'd prefer to apply to the Modelling & analytics programme as you are interested in learning to use the modelling tools and would prefer to do the CFA instead of the ACA, but that as transaction diligence is more similar to your current role it would be more aligned with your skillset and experience. I would recommend you apply to the programme that interests you the most as graduate schemes at EY do not expect you to have prior experience and being willing to learn is all you need as there is a lot of high quality coaching and training available to get you up to speed. In diligence we do the ACA, and we don't typically do any modelling, so if you'd like to learn modelling and do the CFA then the business modelling & analytics programme is likely more relevant to you.

Lastly, about your degree - the application page says a science degree is acceptable so I don't think you need to worry about anything there!

I hope this sort of helps, apologies in advance that I don't know much about the Business Modelling & Analytics programme... but if you do want to ask me anything else, you can reply below and I'll do my best to answer :)