For practices looking to build for the long term, apprenticeships can provide a way to develop talent, strengthen teams and create future leaders – while shaping people around the needs and culture of the practice. For one TaxAssist Accountants practice in West Yorkshire, investing in apprentices has become an important part of its long-term growth strategy.
David and Julia Forrester joined the TaxAssist Accountants network in 2009 and have since built a practice with more than 1,600 clients across four locations in Skipton, Ilkley, Keighley and Bingley.
Over the past 15 years, the practice has recruited 18 apprentices, with another two due to join this September. Nine apprentices are currently part of its 16-strong team, while former apprentices have progressed to become chartered accountants, qualified accounting technicians and senior managers.
For David, developing people has been about much more than filling vacancies. “I am particularly proud of the team we have built and the opportunities we have created for people to develop their careers. We have invested heavily in apprenticeships and training, helping team members progress through professional qualifications and grow into key roles within the business.”
Recruiting for potential, not experience
For accountancy practices considering apprenticeships, one of the biggest changes in approach is moving away from recruiting candidates based primarily on technical experience.
The West Yorkshire practice has developed its recruitment process by working with local colleges and secondary schools, as well as advertising opportunities through the Government apprenticeship website. The response demonstrates the level of interest among people considering a career in accountancy. A recent recruitment campaign attracted more than 80 applications for just two positions.
Rather than looking for candidates who already understand accountancy, the practice focuses on potential.
“We look for people who are keen to learn, are sociable and have good A Level or equivalent results,” says Senior Manager Ben McGonigle. “We believe we can teach the technical aspects, but we can't teach the ability to build meaningful relationships, so that's our key requirement.”
That approach can be particularly valuable for growing practices. Technical knowledge can be developed through structured training, but qualities such as curiosity, communication skills and the ability to build trusted client relationships can be harder to teach.
Building your own talent pipeline
One of the biggest advantages of apprenticeships is that practices can develop people progressively rather than expecting a new employee to arrive with every skill they will eventually need. Apprentices initially work within the bookkeeping team before progressing onto personal tax returns, accounts preparation and limited company work as their knowledge and confidence develops. They have protected time for their studies, while their day-to-day responsibilities complement what they are learning. As their experience grows, apprentices can take greater responsibility for client work and eventually develop their own portfolios.
This creates benefits for the wider practice too. As junior team members become more experienced, senior accountants can spend more of their time on complex work, client relationships, advisory services and business development.
For a growing accountancy firm, that can create a virtuous cycle: developing people creates capacity, increased capacity supports growth, and growth creates further opportunities for the team.
Giving apprentices responsibility
Recruiting an apprentice is only the beginning. For an apprenticeship programme to deliver long-term value, practices need to provide the right combination of formal study, practical experience and support. Giving apprentices meaningful responsibility is an important part of that process. Rather than keeping junior employees away from clients until they are fully qualified, practices can gradually expose them to real-world situations as their skills develop. This helps apprentices understand not only the technical side of accountancy, but also what it means to build relationships with clients, communicate clearly and understand the businesses they are supporting.
Creating the right environment for people to learn and progress can help a practice develop the capabilities it needs as it grows.
The benefits go beyond recruitment
For this TaxAssist Accountants practice, the value of apprenticeships has extended beyond creating a pipeline of future accountants.The apprentices' fresh perspective has also helped the business challenge established ways of working.
“The apprentices we recruit are naturally inquisitive,” says Ben. “They ask why we do things in a certain way, and that has helped us improve our processes and become more efficient.”
That can be an important but sometimes overlooked benefit of bringing new people into a practice. Younger employees are often comfortable questioning established processes, exploring technology and suggesting alternative ways of working. Their questions can encourage practices to review how work is delivered, identify inefficiencies and consider where technology or automation could improve the client experience.
Creating a culture of progression
An apprenticeship programme can also help with retention by giving people a clear sense of where their career could take them.
At the West Yorkshire practice, employees who have completed their own qualifications now help mentor new apprentices. This creates a cycle where those who have benefited from the programme become part of developing the next generation.
The practice has supported a range of qualification routes, including AAT, ACA, ATT and ACCA, as well as the combined ACA/CTA pathway.
One of its biggest success stories is its very first apprentice, who joined in 2011 and has since progressed to become one of the firm's senior managers and team leaders.
For an accountancy practice, this kind of progression can be particularly valuable. Developing someone from their first day as an apprentice through to a senior position means they can build an increasingly deep understanding of the practice, its clients, systems and culture.
From building a team to building a business
As an accounting practice grows, the role of the owner inevitably changes. In the early stages, practice owners are likely to be heavily involved in client work and the day-to-day delivery of services. As the team becomes more established, however, there is an opportunity to delegate more and focus increasingly on leadership, strategy, client development and the future direction of the business.
David has experienced that evolution himself. “As our practice has grown, I now spend more time focusing on leadership, strategy and business development, helping the team deliver excellent service while continuing to invest in technology and efficiency improvements.”
That transition is an important part of building a sustainable practice. A strong team doesn't simply allow an owner to handle more clients. It can create the capacity for the owner to step back from some of the routine delivery work and concentrate on growing the business. It can also strengthen the long-term value of the practice by creating a business that is less dependent on one individual.
Apprenticeships aren't without challenges
For firms considering starting an apprenticeship programme, it is important to recognise that it isn't necessarily a straightforward route to recruitment. Not every apprentice will be the right fit, and developing someone from the beginning requires an investment of time from more experienced team members.
Ben acknowledges that there can be difficult decisions along the way. “Not everyone you recruit will be the right fit, and sometimes you have to have difficult conversations. But when you find the right people, the payoff is worth it. Apprentices have become the backbone of our team and one of the main reasons for our success.”
The experience of the practice suggests that the investment can pay dividends over time.
What began with the recruitment of its first apprentice in 2011 has developed into a long-term talent pipeline, with apprentices now making up more than half of its team.
How the right support can help practices develop their teams
Building an apprenticeship programme requires commitment. Practices need to recruit effectively, provide appropriate training, support professional development and give junior employees opportunities to take on increasing responsibility.
For smaller or growing practices, having access to the right infrastructure, expertise and development resources can make building and retaining a strong team easier.
Within the TaxAssist Accountants network, both franchisees and their teams have access to training, development programmes and specialist resources, supporting continuous professional development at every level of the practice. This means franchisees can develop their own leadership and business skills, while team members have opportunities to build their technical knowledge, gain qualifications and progress their careers.
The experience of franchisees David and Julia Forrester demonstrates what can happen when investment in people becomes part of a practice’s long-term strategy, helping to create a skilled and motivated team capable of supporting continued growth while providing individuals with clear opportunities to develop their careers.
Looking beyond the next hire
For accountancy firms facing ongoing recruitment challenges, apprenticeships can provide a different way of thinking about talent.
Rather than asking, “Who can we hire who already has the skills we need?”, firms can consider, “Who has the potential to develop those skills – and how can we help them get there?”
That requires commitment, structure and patience. But for practices willing to invest in developing people, apprenticeships can create a pipeline of talent while strengthening client relationships, improving processes and developing future leaders.
For David and Julia Forrester, apprenticeships have become a permanent part of the practice's growth strategy, with around two new apprentices expected to join each year.
Fifteen years on, that strategy is helping to shape not just the next generation of accountants, but the future of the practice itself.
