In the ever-changing pace of the working world, it is more and more important within all workplace sectors to offer the next generation a variety of different routes to learn the skills and attributes that will underpin their careers throughout the rest of their life.
In the current day, school may still finish at 16 years of age, but there is a government requirement that students continue studying in some form until they turn 18, through routes such as:
- Studying full time – for example at college;
- Starting an apprenticeship or traineeship; or
- Spending 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part time education or training
It is of no surprise, then, that many young people especially choose the route of apprenticeships, as they provide the perfect combination of practical working and theoretical learning. Apprenticeships enable students of varying ages to find their own feet within the workplace, begin to build relationships with different people from whom they learn and hone newly acquired skills. All this whilst earning their own money for the first time in their life!
Here at A C Mole we welcome the opportunity to employ apprentices who are eager to learn and explore the accountancy profession; be it fresh out of school, on the back of sixth form or as adult learners wanting a change in career or to underpin their practical experience with professional qualifications. In return we provide training routes currently through Accountancy Learning for AAT studies and Reed Business School for ACA professional qualifications, as well as a mentoring scheme that supports students to develop and achieve their full potential.
With National Apprenticeship Week taking place from the 6 to 12 February, we wanted to take this opportunity to shine the spotlight on our very own apprentices and celebrate the achievements they have made since starting at the firm. We currently have 6 students working towards their AAT qualification and 3 working towards ACA. As well as apprenticeships, we also support employees in furthering their education in other ways such as studying ACCA and CTA via distance learning. Two of our apprentices have kindly volunteered to share some details of their personal journeys to where they are today.
Ryan Greedy – AAT
Ryan began his journey here at A C Mole in January 2022 after spending 9 months working as a cleaner to fund his exploration and travel around the British coast. Ryan had no previous experience in the field of accountancy so his knowledge on starting was very limited, however he jumped in at the deep end and started his journey engrossed in a mixture of accounts and tax work. He started studying via an apprenticeship with Accountancy Learning in March 2022 and it all began with learning where we all start – the basics – debits and credits. Ryan has already had the opportunity to take on responsibilities that boosted his experience, taking to it like a duck to water and quickly finding his place as a valued member of the team. Ryan has also widened his knowledge in areas such as payroll and admin in order to provide support as necessary to other departments within the firm. Having been with A C Mole for a year and on the back of his first Self-Assessment January rush, Ryan is keen as ever to keep learning new skills, developing his understanding of the role and progressing his career in which he has shown he is a natural.
Amelia Corrick – ACA
Amelia began her journey here in the Summer of 2016 when she was just 14 years old! She completed a week’s work experience with us whilst in Year 10 at school, having no idea what the week would entail due to a limited understanding of what accountants did. However, the experience clearly left it’s enjoyment mark as she followed this up by enrolling on and completing an Accountancy A Level at college. She decided that, thanks to the experience gained so far, why not make a career of it? Fast forward to the Summer of 2018 and she returned to our team completing a 4-week internship, before starting full time employment with us in September 2019. With a solid grounding of accountancy at A Level, she flew through the AAT course, completing the required Level 3 teachings and the full Level 4 qualification in just shy of 2 years. With a pause to reflect and recharge her batteries she decided, in April 2022, why stop now? So Amelia started her new journey towards her ACA qualification with the ICAEW and is now fully consumed in the higher level teachings of Reed Business School. Amelia is a very valuable part of the audit and charity team here at A C Mole and is looking forward to continuing her learning of a variety of aspects of accounting as well as gaining the practical experience to help consolidate her learning.
Michael Cook, our training partner said, “We have offered students training through apprenticeship for a number of years now and we have found it to be a productive and effective way to nurture our students and provide them with both practical work experience and training in a supportive environment.”
If you are interested in starting your Accountancy career and like the sound of what we have to offer, please contact Associate Partner Becky Oatley on 01823 624450 or ROatley@acmole.co.uk for more information, you can also view a short informative video. We look forward to hearing from you.
