When Ben discovered his sixth form didn’t have the resources to provide an Accountancy A level, he opted for an Apprenticeship with Blackpool and The Fylde College instead. Now studying for his Level 3 AAT qualification, Ben has been working with Moore & Smalley, one of the biggest accountancy practices in the North West for the last 12 months.

So, has an Apprenticeship been the right route for him? Absolutely!

“It’s been a bit of an ‘in at the deep end’ experience, but the whole team here at Moore & Smalley have been really helpful and supportive. I get much more of an insight into commercial life and how to apply my knowledge in a useful and practical way.”

And would he recommend it to anyone else considering accountancy as a career?

“Definitely. Learning while you receive a wage is the best of both worlds and because an AAT qualification gives you a ‘fast track’ to other qualifications, it means I can go for my ACA (Associated Chartered Accountants) qualification sooner and focus on my ambition to make accountancy my career.”

Moore & Smalley is a recognised accountancy training practice with a commitment to Apprenticeships and work based learning. According to Mike Hardaker, it’s an approach that allows the practice to ‘mould’ trainees into the Moore & Smalley way of working, and provides qualified, competent staff at the end of their training period.

“We used to recruit trainees exclusively from universities, but now we draw from a broader base, including Level 3 AATs like Ben.”

Why?

“The AAT gives a good grounding in overall accountancy practice and makes good candidates for the ACA and ACCA (Associated Chartered Certified Accountants) exams. In fact, we take a couple of AATs each year and very often give them further training and sponsor them through their degrees.

“For us, it’s an investment in the future of the company and for them, it’s a golden opportunity to specialise in whichever direction their ambitions lie. That’s why we have such a good retention record with trainees. We don’t lose many once they have trained with us!”

Polly is in the first year of her NVQ Level 2 in Business Adminstration. She works in the Planning Department at Burtons Biscuits in Blackpool, ordering and co-ordinating deliveries of ingredients and packaging material to keep the production line going. For a first job it carries a great deal of responsibility, and Polly feels she has grown up a lot since she has been working at Burtons.

“It’s very different to learning about work at College. I get a much bigger picture of what business is all about, and having to deal with other people from other departments has made me much more confident.”

So would she recommend an Apprenticeship to her friends?

“If you’re not scared of hard work and you want some real responsibility, definitely. You get to earn while you’re learning as well, so it couldn’t be better.”

And the question everyone’s dying to ask; what’s her favourite Burtons Biscuit?

“It’s a tough decision. Probably Maryland Cookies… or maybe Cadbury’s Fingers...”

Until Polly arrived in the office, Karen had sole responsibility for planning and ordering at Burton’s Biscuits. It was her first experience of direct management and she admits she had slight reservations about overseeing someone so young. The support she received form the Work Based Learning Team at the College, however, soon put her mind at rest.

“It’s been a learning curve for me as well as Polly, but I’m really pleased with the way she has developed as a person and grown into her role. Having someone else in the office gives me an invaluable extra resource and makes us more efficient all round.”