Whitehall is preparing to hire its first intake of apprentice economists to boost diversity at the heart of government, shaking up a profession often accused of failing to spot the financial crisis coming a decade ago.
An Oxbridge-educated maths genius might be the stereotypical candidate for a role advising ministers on economics in Whitehall, but the civil service wants to find 75 young people from all walks of life to take the positions instead.
People as young as 17 can apply, while a grade 6 in GCSE maths and three Cs or equivalent in any subject at A-level are required.
Whitehall has struggled in recent years to shift its reputation as a stuffy institution best characterised by the 1980s television series Yes Minister. The wider economics profession has also faced sharp criticism of its perceived groupthink tendencies and for being too wedded to neoclassical economic models, with particular focus on the way economics is taught at university.
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