Ernst & Young is offering cultural awareness training to new recruits from overseas, the firm’s chief executive said this week as he announced a huge jump in profitability.

Cultural awareness classes and English lessons for its growing contingent of overseas recruits were part of plans to be 'innovative' about recruiting to fill the UK skills gap, Mark Otty told Accountancy Age.

The firm has recruited from 26 countries including Ecuador, Ukraine, Mauritius and South Africa.

'We have had to be innovative in attracting new recruits and secondees from outside the UK,' Otty said.

The Big Four firm also confirmed it would not be following KPMG's example in merging with a European counterpart, instead focussing on supporting contact between firms in emerging markets.

Otty said the firm intended to reveal more about its strategy during the next few months.

E&Y celebrated a 20% increase in revenues to £1.13bn, including a 40% jump in profits.