10 Jun 2025
Eight outstanding students from International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), part of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) recently participated in Deloitte’s prestigious 2025 “Youth Up” Audit & Assurance Experience Day at its Shanghai office. Accompanied by Ms Yidan Liu, Ms Bingxuan Zhou, and Ms Xiaoyu Zhang from the IBSS Work Placement, Employability and Career Development (WEC) team, the students competed alongside peers from China’s leading universities – standing out impressively.
Representing IBSS among a field of candidates from prestigious institutions such as Fudan University, Tongji University, and Zhejiang University, our students demonstrated not only a solid academic foundation but also polished soft skills, confidence, and professionalism.
As a result:
- Six students received full-time offers for Deloitte’s Autumn 2026 intake, as well as Best Individual Award honours in their groups.
- The remaining two secured the coveted “Green Pass”, granting them direct access to Deloitte’s 2026 partner-level interviews.
These outstanding results highlight the strength of IBSS’s talent development model and the calibre of student it produces.
Real-World Practice with Elite Peers
As a key part of Deloitte’s recruitment process, the “Youth Up” Audit & Assurance Experience Day is designed to immerse participants in cutting-edge auditing practices, emerging digital tools, and Deloitte’s professional culture. The event offered students hands-on experience through intensive simulations and panel discussions.
The event also featured keynote speeches on business development, generative AI, and ESG practices. Further, in a leaderless group discussion on audit inventory planning, participants were challenged to analyse a real-world business scenario and collaboratively design a monitoring plan. This exercise simulated the core processes of audit work and tested students’ teamwork, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills whilst under pressure.
IBSS Talent Stands Out
After a competitive internal nomination process by IBSS programme directors and subsequent Deloitte evaluations, the following students earned a spot in the elite camp:
- Jingyi ?Sun (Year 1, MSc Professional Accounting)
- Qiufu Li (Year 1, MSc Professional Accounting)
- Yang Yu (Year 1, MSc Investment Management)
- Xiaoyi Liu (Year 1, MSc Finance)
- Pan Zhang (Year 3, BA Accounting)
- Linglong Jiao (Year 3, BA Accounting)
- Xinyu Huang (Year 3, BA Accounting)
- Hongke Huang (Year 3, BSc Accounting)
The students displayed confidence, professionalism, and collaboration throughout the event, with all eight being commended by the Deloitte professionals.
The six students received full-time offers and “Best Individual Awards”:
- Pan Zhang, Linglong Jiao, Xinyu Huang, Hongke Huang (Year 3, BA Accounting)
- Jingyi Sun (Year 1, MSc Professional Accounting)
- Yang Yu (Year 1, MSc Investment Management)
- Xiaoyi Liu (Year 1, MSc Finance)
- Qiufu Li (Year 1, MSc Professional Accounting)
Their successes exemplify IBSS’s commitment to experiential learning, international competence and industry preparedness – equipping our students with the skills and confidence to excel in global business environments.
- Targeted CV coaching: guiding students to highlight their unique strengths and tailor their profiles to employer needs
- Leaderless group discussion training: practical assessments to enhance communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, and decision-making
- High-pressure simulations: repeated practice to improve communication, active listening, and leadership in time-sensitive situations
Students also benefitted from the insights of Dr Lingyan Zuo, Programme Director for BA Accounting, who integrated classroom theory with real-world scenarios to build practical confidence.?
Student Reflections: Growth and Gratitude
Participants reflected on their growth and the experience’s lasting impact:
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Yang Yu (MSc Investment Management, Offer and Best Individual Award): “What impressed me most was the deep integration of digital tools in audit. Deloitte’s AI-powered platforms showed how technology transforms data analysis and risk detection. Thanks to IBSS’s emphasis on systems thinking and global perspective, I was able to understand complex issues quickly and offer constructive solutions, ultimately gaining recognition from the judges. This boosted my career confidence.”
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Hongke Huang (BA Accounting, Offer and Best Individual Award): “I was teamed up with students from Fudan and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, which was initially intimidating. But the case-based teaching and English instruction at IBSS gave me the ability to think fast and speak clearly. During the audit simulation, I identified key risks and communicated them effectively, which helped drive our team’s progress. This experience gave me a clearer vision for my future in audit.”
The 2025 Deloitte “Youth Up” Audit and Assurance Experience Day was more than a recruitment event – it was a platform for learning, networking and professional development. As well as being another milestone in the journey of our students, it also reflects IBSS’s deep commitment to bridging academia and industry, and to cultivating globally minded, career-ready leaders of the future.
XJTLU Career Centre
XJTLU Student Development Advice Centre (SDAC)
Photos courtesy of: Deloitte
Written by: Yidan Liu, Xiaoyu Zhang
Proofreading: Thomas Durham
10 Jun 2025