...of experiencing other industries 
    
A consultancy firm is often outsourced by a company to address or find a solution to a specified need or problem. This area can range from recruitment, IT, marketing, auditing etc. The idea is that a company will find it more viable to outsource and use a consultancy to facilitate their needs.

Working for a consultancy is extremely dependant on what the company actually specializes in. However it allows individuals to be involved with various businesses from diverse industries. Hence the individual will not be focused on a single environment and will have the freedom of experiencing other industries.

The Players:
Accenture
McKinsey & Company
Bain & Company
The Boston Consulting Group

Who qualifies for consultancy graduate programs:
Its extremely specific to the area that the consultancy caters for, so the company could be looking for accounting, marketing or even nursing grads it could literally be any field, its really up the individual being able to fit the needs or requirements of the consultancy.

The Film:

Office Space: Classic movie about working in a corporate environment includes the use of outsourced Human Resources Consultants used to retrench individuals from a company!
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/ The International Movie Database)

The Youtube.com video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxef8yDCQ4s

The literature:

Understanding Organisations
by Charles Handy
 
Organizations are a part of everyday life, whether in schools, hospitals, police stations or commercial companies. In this classic text, Charles Handy argues that the key to successful organizations lies in a better understanding of the needs and motivations of the people within them.