The College of Legal Practice becomes apprenticeship provider

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The College of Legal Practice (the College) has been accepted onto the national Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register, meaning organisations can now use the College to train their graduate solicitor apprentices.

The move aligns with the provider’s social mobility work, further enhancing its “commitment to inclusion and increasing access to the solicitor profession”. Browne Jacobson LLP – one of the leading employers in the Social Mobility Foundation’s Employer Index in 2023 – has already confirmed that it’ll be partnering with the College to support its graduate solicitor apprentices from autumn 2024.

The College’s solicitor graduate apprenticeship will be available from autumn 2024 and will entail flexible preparation for both stages of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) across two (or three years, combined with the Graduate Diploma in Law).

Training for the apprenticeship will be completed virtually and spread across the working week, limiting the need for full days out of work or the office. According to the College, the programme’s costs will be similar to those for its SQE preparation courses.

Dr Giles Proctor, the College’s CEO, says: “I am thoroughly delighted that we can now partner with firms to increase the opportunities they have available for talented legal professionals to qualify through the SQE. This really is fantastic news for the profession.”