National Apprenticeship week this year runs from 7th – 11th February 2021 and it aims to shine a light on the work being done by both employers and Apprentices themselves across the country. Over the past year, our four Apprentices have been progressing really well through their courses and two of our Apprentices are currently at their final stage in the Gateway – this means that they are nearly at the end!
Last year the theme of National Apprenticeship Week was “Build the Future”. This theme has been extended to 2022, focusing on the benefits not just for the individual Apprentice but for the company that they work for too.
That’s why this year we wanted to focus on how our Apprentices have made a big impact on Brethertons and their individual teams in particular. We also want to use this as an opportunity for us all to come together and celebrate the success of our Apprentices and so we wanted to share with you all the feedback that we have received from the Apprentice’s mentors/managers within the firm –
Kim Lehal for Katie Nightingale – LA Apprentice within the Children & Domestic Violence team –
Katie is responsible for all of the administration work in our team. She supports Kim, Jemma and Monique with handling new enquiries, legal aid assessments and processing those applications, booking conferences and meetings, allocating counsel’s fees, booking counsel for hearings, collating court bundles, supporting with the billing process with high cost cases and preparing costing bundles at the end of the matter. The smooth operation of the team is dependent on Katie and her role. Katie has pushed herself outside of her comfort zone and grown in confidence since starting her apprenticeship at Brethertons which has enabled her to carry out her role to the highest standard possible, becoming a valued member of the team.
Amy Edwards for Anna Daley - LA Apprentice within the Dispute Resolution team –
Anna has been at the firm since 19 January 2021 and in Dispute Residential for 9 months (and helps out across all of the teams in the corporate sector) and is a great asset to the team. Anna is diligent, hardworking and as a great attention to detail. I am really pleased to see her progress to date. Now she has mastered our systems and processes she is becoming more involved in the legal aspects of matters and I am looking forward to helping her develop further.
Emma Crocker for Lewis Middleton and Jake Reed - LA Apprentice within the Residential Conveyancing team
Jake and Lewis are a fantastic support to the Residential Conveyancing team. All of their work is completed to a high standard, and they are both valued members of the team. They carry out a whole array of tasks from opening files to making applications to register property transfers at the Land Registry. They also liaise with Solicitors, the Land Registry and Lenders on the phone which has enabled them to grow in confidence. They are both very pro-active and will always go the extra mile to ensure our clients receive excellent service.
Our current Apprentices are completing their training and qualification through Heart of England Training (HOET). As a firm, we work really closely with HOET to ensure that our Apprentices are getting the support and development they need and deserve from both our perspective as the employer and from the learning provider themselves. Each Apprentice has a dedicated assessor from HOET who acts as their mentor throughout their course. Again, to celebrate the success and in aid of National Apprenticeship week, we wanted to share the feedback that we have received from the assessors too.
Liam – Mentor for Lewis Middleton and Jake Reed –
During my time working with Brethertons, we have had many Apprentices working on the Business Admin Level 2 Framework and also the Level 3 Standard. Throughout the learner’s journey we have seen amazing amounts of support for learners. We have seen learners really progress and challenge themselves with the help of their employer. Brethertons are always eager to help and assist with anything, however big or small. I have experienced this first-hand from having quarterly meetings to go over the learner’s progress and identify areas of development and support that will be best for the learners. This makes it individualised and Brethertons also offer around the clock support for them, no matter what they need. I also have a great relationship with Brethertons, having 17 week reviews of the learners to go over targets, where they are working well, where they may need development and how to meet these needs. I have always found them to be approachable, friendly, eager to help and also above all just a great partnership.
Donna – Mentor for Katie Nightingale and Anna Daley -
My name is Donna Parnell and I am an External Educator with ‘Heart of England Training Ltd’.
For a period of partnership spanning over more than fifteen years, Heart of England Training Ltd and Bretherton’s have supported 48 apprentices through a journey of specialist training, career development and personal growth.
These apprentices have completed apprenticeship programmes in administration, client service, team leadership, management and marketing; we are very proud to have made such an impact, alongside Bretherton’s, on the apprenticeship landscape and the local labour market.
This year’s National Apprenticeship Week continues the theme of ‘Build Your Future’: Bretherton’s Solicitors as an employer, and HOET as a training provider, have certainly provided a pathway for a large number of people to train, develop and build their future.
Here’s to many more years of successful training partnership, and to many more apprentices!