29TH NOV 2023
Growing future talent: accountancy apprenticeships at Griffiths Marshall
Employer Training and Apprenticeships
Accountancy apprenticeships give employers the opportunity to develop people who know their business, understand their clients and gain practical experience alongside their qualifications.
Griffiths Marshall has been supporting accountancy apprentices for many years. In this article they share their experience and the benefits they’ve seen, including retaining some of their apprentices as permanent members of the team.
With our next accountancy apprenticeship intake starting in January, we’re revisiting their experience and what it could mean for employers looking to grow their own finance team.
Learning on the job
For Griffiths Marshall, apprenticeships offered a way to bring together accountancy knowledge and practical, hands-on experience.
Their apprentices worked on a variety of tasks and with different clients from the outset. Starting with basic bookkeeping and general business support, they moved on to straightforward accounts work as their skills developed.
This gave apprentices the chance to put their learning into practice while getting to know the firm’s clients, systems and ways of working.
Room to progress
An apprenticeship was also a starting point for a longer career with the firm.
When we spoke, Griffiths Marshall told us that many apprentices had stayed to continue their qualifications, with some progressing as far as Level 7.
By investing in young talent and supporting people to develop specialist skills, the firm could help employees progress in areas that supported the needs of the business.
Keeping knowledge in the team
Griffiths Marshall had retained several apprentices as permanent employees after they achieved their AAT or ICAEW qualifications.
The benefit was that these employees already knew the clients and had practical experience of how the firm worked. They could continue building on that experience as they took the next step in their careers.
For employers, it’s an opportunity to develop someone over time, helping them gain the skills and confidence to take on more responsibility within the business.
Looking for the right attitude
When recruiting apprentices, Griffiths Marshall looked for enthusiasm, initiative and reliability, as well as attention to detail, listening skills and good communication.
They also highlighted the importance of developing people skills alongside technical knowledge. Learning how to work with colleagues and clients was just as important as keeping up with accountancy studies.
Their advice to other employers was straightforward: supporting an apprentice takes work, but it gives you the chance to help shape your employees of the future.
Could an accountancy apprenticeship work for your business?
You might be looking for a new recruit to support a growing finance team, or have an existing employee who is ready to develop their accountancy skills.
At Gloucestershire College, we offer accountancy apprenticeships from Level 2 to Level 4, incorporating AAT qualifications, with our next intake starting in January 2027.
Our employer team can talk you through the options, help you understand the funding available and support you with recruiting an apprentice.
To discuss your training needs, email employer.training@gloscol.ac.uk or call 0345 155 2020.
Griffiths Marshall’s experience above was shared with us in November 2023.
