Celebrating our rising stars during National Apprenticeship Week 2021

Apprenticeships not only provide individuals with valuable skills and experience they need for a successful career - they provide businesses with brilliant people.

Next week we will be celebrating our rising stars this week as England marks National Apprenticeship Week #NAW2021 from 8th – 14th February.

We pride ourselves on providing school leavers with a fully-funded Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) apprenticeship programme, combining study at Carlisle College with on the job learning within our accounting teams. Students then have the opportunity to progress on to the ACA Graduate Scheme to become a chartered accountant.

Ella Southwell

Ella Southwell, 20, started her AAT apprenticeship in 2019 after achieving her A levels at Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton.

“The university route didn’t appeal to me, as I’m a more practical learner and thought I’d be better suited to a work environment where I could learn on the job. I looked at a number of local apprenticeship schemes but felt that AW offered the training and support that would help me develop a career,” she said.

“I’m really happy with how my apprenticeship is going. Starting with a group of nine other students made the transition from school to work much easier and has made the learning experience more enjoyable.

“In my short time at AW, I’ve had the opportunity to undertake a secondment, assist in the development of new projects and act as a mentor for new apprentices. This has all developed my confidence and helped me grow professionally.”

22 New AAT and ACA Apprentices

For the last two years, we have taken on cohorts of trainees under the apprenticeship umbrella and we currently have 22 new starters who are being funded through the apprenticeship levy, including 11 AAT apprentices who started in July and August last year.

Alongside the AAT scheme, we also take on graduates for their ACA programme. Last year we recruited 13 chartered accountancy trainees, up from 11 in 2019 to work towards their ACA, a three-year qualification involving college study and working within the Audit and Assurance team.

This year’s National Apprenticeship Week's theme is ‘Build the Future’ and we firmly believe our apprentices are the future of Armstrong Watson. We have taken on trainees for over 150 years with some existing Partners starting out as students.

Paul Dickson, CEO and managing partner, said: “It’s essential we invest in the next generation of accountants and advisers. We have a long history of growing our own talent and those who join us will not only have the opportunity to become future business leaders, but as a top 30 UK firm, they will work at the cutting edge of legislative and technical changes in accounting.

“We strongly believe our people are our business and we invest in ambitious individuals who are keen to launch their careers and take advantage of the development we offer. With 16 offices across the North of England and Scotland and 13 different service lines, there’s a huge range of scope for career direction and development available to those who choose to join us on this exciting journey.”

Our AAT Apprentices are guided by Karen Blaylock, Accounting Training Manager, who provides motivation, emotional support and role modelling. “I am here to help with exploring careers, identifying goals and developing individuals by sharing my own experiences and the values of Armstrong Watson,” she said.

We were thrilled to be named by AAT as one of the 'top five firms in the UK in which to kick start your accountancy career' in 2018. We also received recognition as Carlisle College’s Apprentice Employer of the Year in 2017 and 2019, and in 2018 Abigail Graham, now an Audit and Assurance Senior, was nominated as Trainee of the Year at the In-Cumbria Business Awards.

We are committed to bringing in more recruits in 2021 so please get in touch if you or anyone you know could be interested.