Proposed cuts to funding for legal apprenticeships in England will damage the profession’s international standing and undermine recruitment, the Law Society warned today.
Level 7 apprenticeships, including solicitor apprenticeships equivalent to a master’s degree, will no longer be funded by the new Growth and Skills Levy under government plans announced last September. Chancery Lane says the change will prevent people who cannot afford university fees from gaining jobs in legal services, including qualifying as a solicitor.
The level 7 apprenticeship takes place over six years at a regulated firm. More than 3,000 people have begun solicitor apprenticeships since they were launched a decade ago.
Society president Richard Atkinson said: 'Apprenticeships provide a route into a legal career that has previously not been open to many from low socio-economic backgrounds. Recent data shows that those undertaking apprenticeships have one of the highest pass rates for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, demonstrating the value of apprenticeships in bringing new talent into the legal profession.
'Maintaining level 7 apprenticeships is critical to continuing the levels of investment in training across the legal services sector, [and will] not only aid in growing the legal services sector, but also ensure that England and Wales remains an international jurisdiction of choice.’
Level 7 apprenticeships are not available in Wales. Introducing them is 'vital to the transforming and sustaining the legal sector in Wales', the Society added.
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