AI shouldn’t end the consulting apprenticeship

Article appeared in Courier Mail in May 2026.

As AI removes low-level repetition from consulting work, firms face a growing quandary: what happens to the graduates who once learned through this work? 

In a tight market, the temptation is to cut entry-level roles altogether and prioritise short-term cost savings. But while this may improve margins in the immediate term, it risks creating a long-term capability gap.

Recent reporting has suggested AI could automate up to 30 per cent of routine consulting tasks within three years. At the same time, professional services firms are already reshaping graduate hiring. According to The Australian Financial Review, Minter Ellison cut its 2025/26 graduate intake by almost a third, partly because AI is automating lower-level work traditionally handled by graduates. Overall hiring across Australia’s top eight law firms fell by seven per cent this financial year.

A global study by the British Standards Institution found 39 per cent of business leaders had already reduced or cut entry-level roles due to AI, while a further 43 per cent expected to do so this year.

We believe this approach risks undermining the apprenticeship model that has traditionally developed future leaders and trusted advisors - people who build their problem-solving capability through hands-on client experience, collaboration and communication.

It’s true that AI has absorbed many of the repetitive tasks graduates once cut their teeth on. But rather than reducing opportunities, we have used this as a chance to accelerate early-career development.

For the past 18 months our firm has placed graduates directly into client project teams at a discounted rate for clients. The results have been significant.

In fact, the acute post-COVID talent shortage reinforced for us that firms cannot afford to stop developing early-career talent. 

That’s why we’ve continued to expand graduate and early-career hiring and embed these consultants directly into client project teams from the outset.

Because graduates are solving real-world problems alongside experienced consultants from day one, we have seen a marked uplift in their technical capability, communication skills and commercial understanding. They are learning how to work with stakeholders, present ideas clearly and navigate complex business environments far earlier in their careers.

In some cases, consultants with only two years of experience are already contributing to complex client deliverables typically handled by consultants with more than five years of experience. 

We have also expanded internship opportunities for university students, allowing them to develop foundational consulting and technical skills before they formally enter the workforce. This creates a stronger transition into permanent roles and enables graduates to contribute meaningfully to client work sooner. 

Many graduates are entering the workforce already comfortable working alongside AI tools and experimenting with new ways of operating. When paired with hands-on client experience from the outset, this can significantly accelerate both technical and commercial development.

It has also delivered value for clients, who benefit from additional capability and fresh perspectives at a lower cost.

Importantly, many of the skills that make great consultants - critical thinking, relationship building, judgement and communication - cannot be automated. These capabilities are developed through exposure, mentorship and experience.

AI will undoubtedly change how consulting firms operate. But if organisations remove graduates from client environments entirely, they risk weakening the pipeline of future talent the industry depends on.

The firms that succeed as AI reshapes professional services, will not simply be those that automate work most aggressively. They will be the ones that use AI to elevate people faster, develop strong future leaders and build more capable teams for the long term.