Barking & Dagenham College alumnus sets up recruitment agency

A former accountancy student at Barking & Dagenham College (@BarkingCollege) has set up a recruitment agency to help employers find talented, ethnically diverse individuals in the finance industry. 

Maria Emate, from Harold Hill, Romford, set up the agency earlier this year, having studied and worked in the field of accountancy since 2012. 

 She’s recently teamed up with her old college to help the College’s students to secure paid internships.  

Maria explains:

“I wanted to assist young black people to access opportunities and enhance their social mobility potential. 

“I was really inspired by the 10,000 Black Interns initiative which was launched this year, which aims to transform the horizons and prospects of young Black people in the United Kingdom by offering paid work experience across a wide range of industries.  

“When I first got into accounting, I was very lucky to have a family friend who gave me the opportunity to do relevant work experience which helped me to start my career. I realise though, that not everyone has these opportunities and I wanted to help level up the playing field.” 

Catherine Weissand, Business Development Manager at the College said:

“We were delighted when Maria approached us to work with our current students.  It is fantastic to see how well she has done and how much she wants to help others starting out in their careers.”