Incorporating NQ magazine
May 2026
AWARDS SHORTLIST INSIDE
www.pqmagazine.com/www.pqjobs.co.uk
LEVEL 4 TRANSITION RULES
NQ TO FD SALARY SURVEY
WELCOME TO THE TALENT POOL
A single exam failure can lead to the abrupt end of a promising accountancy career, but this does not have to be the case. Hansel, the workforce intelligence and talent infrastructure provider, has announced the launch of The Talent Pool. This landmark industry initiative is designed to solve the systemic challenge of trainee attrition within the accountancy profession. Supported by ICAEW and PQ magazine, the initiative provides a vital career continuity pathway for the approximately 800 ACA trainees who are ‘exited’ from their firms annually, primarily due to rigid internal exam policies. The Talent Pool acts as ‘a new home in practice’, ensuring that high-quality training and thousands of hours
of investment are not lost to the industry. While spearheaded by Hansel, the initiative is being launched with the active support and integration of a broad coalition of the UK’s most prominent accountancy firms. This group includes a growing number of Top 20 and mid-tier practices who are adopting the platform as a key component of their talent and outplacement strategy. “Brilliant people stumble; careers do not have to,” says George Pollard (pictured), CEO of Hansel. “The Talent Pool isn’t just a platform; it’s a commitment from the industry to ensure that a single professional setback doesn’t end a promising career. We are moving the profession from fragmented exits to collective market strength.”
Pollard also believes the initiative addresses a critical wellbeing gap in the current system, where exits due to exam policy are often abrupt and high-stress. By transforming a difficult termination into a proactive career pivot, Hansel will help firms maintain professional stewardship and preserve longterm alumni goodwill. “ICAEW is proud to support
this brilliant initiative,” says Alan Vallance, CEO of ICAEW. “Ensuring that capable and hardworking trainees are given a structured pathway to continue their professional journey is vital for the longterm health and resilience of the accountancy profession. The Talent Pool provides exactly the kind of innovative stewardship we need to protect our future talent pipeline.”
ACCA MARCH PASS RATES HERE The ACCA March pass rates are out, and they arrived on a Saturday. The surprise in the Applied Skills results is the jump in the PM pass rate to the heady heights of 45%. You have to go back to 2010 to see a higher pass rate – in June that year it was well over 50%. However, the AA pass rate slipped to 43%
this time around. The stats show this is the lowest pass rate since December 2023, when it was just 41%. The other Applied Skills pass rates all held steady and were over 50%. The Strategic essential papers also had pass rates of 50% and above. It was good to see all the Strategic optional papers above 40% this March. AAA had a pass rate of 42%, and you have to
go to December 2010 to find a higher one. The rest of the optional papers mirrored recent sitting pass rates. Some 92,224 PQs entered exams in March, with 103,785 exams sat. A total of 3,334 students completed their final exams to become ACCA affiliates. ACCA MARCH 2026 EXAM PASS RATES: TX 53%; FR 50%; PM 45%; FM 50%; AA 43%; SBL 52%; SBR 50%; AAA 42%; AFM 44%; APM 40%; ATX 50%
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aicpa-cima.com/flpuk