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The firm is in a unique positon in the legal market, currently running two apprenticeship programmes with the combined number of 31 apprentices in the 2022/ 2023 cohort. This comprises a solicitor apprenticeship programme and a recently launched Apprenticeship Career Excellence Programme (ACE) focused on business services for the legal profession and wider professional services sector.
The brainchild of Elli
e Williamson, Fieldfisher's Talent Acquisition Advisor and former apprentice in the firm, the ACE Programme is designed to provide young apprentices with an opportunity to directly access the world of professional services and join a programme where they can specialise in business development and marketing, IT services, human resources, risk management and/or legal document management and production.
The two-year programme which commenced in September 2022 currently includes 9 apprentices in the firm's London and Manchester offices. Last December our Belfast office also welcomed its first three Practice Administration apprentices.
Ellie Williamson said: "After a career change I was given the chance to learn on the job as an apprentice and I wanted to give other people the opportunity to move on outside of education. Fieldfisher is a very inclusive organisation and I was delighted when they backed my idea to roll this out as a formal scheme. We filled nine places from over 270 applications across Business Development & Marketing, IT Services, HR and Risk. It's been such a success that we're bringing new areas within the firm onto the programme."
Levi Glaister is an ACE HR Apprentice in the Manchester office. She explained what drew her to the programme:
"A lot of my friends were heading off to university and I considered it but realised I prefer to be more hands-on, to get on with the job and show what I'm capable of, so I looked around at apprenticeships. I'd studied Human Resources at college and knew that the people side of business really suited me. There's also a lot of variety within this part of a business, especially in the legal sector which I was eager to learn more about."
Another apprentice, Lucy French, works in the marketing department in London. She explained what her day-to-day is like:
"My work is quite flexible, depending on what the marketing team's needs are at the time. I started off mainly working on internal communications but I've moved more into the digital and social media side of things which is where my main interests are. But I'm getting experience of all areas of marketing."
The theme for this year's Apprenticeship Week is #SkillsforLife and that resonates with Ellie:
"All of the apprentices are studying for professional qualifications funded by the firm which will set them up for the long term. We want to do all we can to give people from all walks of life a chance to make a success of their careers."
Levi encouraged anyone with a desire to get started in their career to think about apprenticeships; "I'd say go for it! Companies are realising the value of apprentices and there are more and more opportunities out there. I have absolutely no regrets - I'm earning and learning, and between you and me, some of my friends who are at university are a little bit envious of me!"
Tom Freestone, Head of HR at Fieldfisher, explained that the ACE Programme was the natural next step in the firm's overall employment offering:
"We've developed a number of opportunities over the years that encourage talent from a range of backgrounds. The firm has always fostered a positive environment for young lawyers and business professionals to learn and develop and the ACE Programme was the perfect next step."
#NAW2023