BPP Law School marks National Apprenticeship Week

The news marks the start of the fifth annual National Apprenticeship Week, which was launched today with over 500 events across the country.

BPP’s new programme will sit alongside its existing apprenticeship scheme in Accounting, and the four new business apprenticeships that were revealed today.

The business apprenticeships are primarily targeted at school leavers and will be run in conjunction with the Skills Funding Agency.

Specific details about the legal apprenticeship scheme are yet to be revealed, but BPP has confirmed that it will cover the paralegal role.

e largest recorded, following a massive fluctuation in the number of apprenticeships available, boosting by 63.5 per cent between 2009-10 and 2010-11 according to official statistics.

A number of law firms have supported this effort by launching several apprenticeship schemes last year, with Eversheds and Norton Rose being the first firms to announce their intention to roll out a number of apprentice opportunities within their finance, HR, professional resources and IT department.

Following this, DWF, Gordons, Irwin Mitchell, Minster Law, Parabis Law and Pinsent Masons also rolled out modern legal apprenticeship schemes throughout the year (28 November 2011)

DWF Graduate and Apprentice Programme Manager Kate Hasluck said: “We are marking National Apprenticeship Week by continuing our drive to target school leavers in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester ahead of our next paralegal apprentice cohort joining the firm.

“There will be a plan to boost the internal profiles of our apprentices over the next week, so all of our people are aware of their successes. Our long term aim is to lead the way in recruiting young and talented people into the business, playing our part in training school leavers so they can develop a robust and diverse career in law.”

Several top law firms have also signed up to the National Paralegal Apprenticeship Framework with charitable organisation Skills for Justice (15 December 2011).

The creation of a structured apprenticeship programme for the legal services sector will attract government funding to cover necessary training, which in turn will allow more law firms to offer a pathway to school leavers to undertake meaningful roles.

To date, between 20 and 25 law firms have signed up, including Eversheds, Kennedys, Browne Jacobson, Field Fisher Waterhouse, Lyons Davidson, DAC Beachcroft and Pinsent Masons. The next Steering Group is set to take place this month (February 2012), as well as the operation of several working groups.