Law firm Gordons has expanded its commitment to further enabling social mobility by launching an initiative to encourage Yorkshire schoolchildren to pursue careers in professional services.
Gordons is regarded as a social mobility pioneer having introduced the first apprenticeship of its kind within the legal sector 15 years ago. Today, the Gordons Law Apprenticeship enables 18-year-old school leavers who join the firm to qualify as solicitors after six years which combine work and study.
The firm’s’ latest effort sees it partner with schools in Yorkshire to provide children in year 10 with insights into the many and varied careers available within a professional services setting.
The initiative has been launched soon after a report commissioned by the government led by Alan Milburn on young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) was published.
An advocate of the Gordons Law Apprenticeship since its launch, Alan’s report highlights the need for more support to help children flourish at school and beyond.
A current Gordons apprentice, Sophie Wilton, and partner, Catherine Woodward, are leading the engagement with schools. They recently secured the first to take part which was Carr Manor Community School in Moortown, Leeds.
A total of 15 children visited Gordons’ Leeds office and had talks from different areas of the firm including marketing and finance, as well as the private client and employment teams. The children also took part in interactive mock trial sessions.
Carr Manor Community School senior leader for personal development and wellbeing, Matthew Skinner, said: “This is an excellent initiative by Gordons and we are very pleased to be the first school to have benefited from it.
“We worked closely with Sophie and Catherine on the structure and content of the visit to ensure the children could get the most out of it.
“The day provided a progressive approach to giving our pupils real-world career advice so the initiative holds genuine value for children.
“It also impressed upon them that no matter what your background, if you apply yourself and have a positive attitude towards your role, you will be ideally placed to succeed in whatever you decide to do.”
The firm is continuing to outreach to schools throughout Yorkshire which would be interested in providing children with an insight into professional services to enable social mobility.
Gordons’ Sophie Wilton added: “Working with Matthew to make the visit happen and to launch our schools social mobility initiative has been a great experience.
“Catherine and I are very pleased that the children enjoyed it. Most importantly, they left knowing that there are many career opportunities for them within professional services.
“It was important for them to realise, as I have learnt, that despite a challenging upbringing, there are people and businesses out there who will give you an opportunity. To see some of that self-belief become evident on the visit was hugely rewarding.
“We now look forward to working with other schools based in Yorkshire who would like to take part in the initiative and welcome any interested teachers to get in touch.”
Gordons is headquartered in Leeds and also has a Bradford office. The firm’s clients include retailers AO, Iceland Foods, Morrisons, Ocado Retail and Wren Kitchens, as well as drinks company Molson Coors and parcel delivery business Evri.
Gordons employs 180 people and is taking on more apprentices this September. Since the scheme began, more than 40 young people have been apprentices at the firm.
Image provided by Gordons
