At The College of Legal Practice, we put widening participation at the heart of all we do. We provide high quality, flexible and affordable routes to the legal profession through our SQE preparation and postgraduate courses. We’re very enthusiastic about a new route to qualification, the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship (GSA). Firms across the UK have adopted this route to get their trainees qualified, and those that have partnered with us, are finding the GSA to be a well-supported and well-funded route.
In this article we’re discussing the practicalities and benefits of this route with our Chief Operations Director, Peter Liver, to help you decide if the GSA is the right fit for your firm.
What does a firm need to do to set up the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship?
As with any new route to qualification, many questions pop up around the practicalities of delivering them. We spoke with Peter Liver, Chief Operations Director at the College about the process.
Getting buy-in
“The first thing your firm needs to do to start the process of GSA delivery is getting real buy-in at an executive level. Some firms have a more traditional idea of how a trainee should qualify or have assumptions attached to an apprenticeship. You really need to work on dispelling these, and make sure everyone in your leadership team understands why an apprenticeship route is a strong step forward as a great pipeline for inclusive talent development. There are two main selling points, we’ve found, for firms: funding and performance.
One of the most attractive qualities of the GSA is the funding provided by the government here in the UK. As an institution, you’re able to draw down the apprenticeship levy to cover the cost of the GSA for your apprentice. Some firms mistakenly think that this only applies to institutions who pay into the levy, but this isn’t the case. Firms who pay in do get 100% funding, but those not eligible to pay, so the smaller organisations, in can still draw down 95% of funding - something not to be overlooked!
We’re also seeing some evidence that the overall performance of GSA candidates is actually better than those following the independent SQE and QWE pathway. We’re seeing better results in exams from our GSA students overall. We’d argue that this is because of the clear pathway and engagement that the GSA delivers. Students must complete work-based evidence portfolios throughout the programme with a very clear set of standards - all this bolsters a student’s knowledge and ability when it comes to sitting the SQE.”
Next steps: the process
If your organisation has decided that the GSA is indeed a good route , the next step is getting registered. Let’s discuss this.
“Firstly, find a training provider is registered to deliver GSA programmes. The GSA is a tripartite relationship between employer, the GSA training provider , and the GSA themselves - so you want to make sure you have a supportive provider to partner with. Check that your potential provider has the robust framework in place needed to deliver the GSA. Things to reflect on when considering who to partner with, are the how the GSA is delivered and the level and quality of both the training content and the coaching.
At The College of Legal Practice, we have coaches who understand the SQE syllabus and have taught the programmes, and who are solicitors themselves, so they understand the working environment of legal service providers. We also aim to ensure the GSA has the same coach throughout the programme to ensure consistency. With this checked, you will enter a contract with your training provider which explicitly outlines the responsibilities of each party. You will also state who in your organisation is to be responsible as the main point of contact for your GSA candidates and partnering provider. This needs to be an invested individual, and as much as possible, the same person throughout the two- or three-year programmes.
With an employer and training provider contract established, there are then quite a few eligibilities to consider here. Firstly, you must evidence that you will be employing apprentices formally, even if you decide to call them by a different name (such as ‘trainees’). You must also give your apprentices at least 20% of their working time back to work on their GSA programmes. This is a requirement to in essence to access the funding for the programme.
Each GSA training provider will have different expectations for what their GSA candidates need to have to enter their programme, so it’s important to consider this. At The College of Legal Practice, we require applicants to be graduates, as well as have an A-C in Maths and English GCSE. Entrants with a Law degree can join our 2-year GSA, while those with a non-Law degree can enter our 3-year pathway, which provides additional modules and teaching similar to that of a GDL or Law conversion course.”
GSA underway: what happens next
“Once you have contracted with a GSA provider and have employed your apprentices, you will quickly begin to see the tripartite relationship between apprentice, employer and provider develop. Typically, you’ll begin the GSA with an onboarding programme which clearly sets out expectations for each party. With the College, we have a very defined framework within which we induct the apprentice into the programme which we do collaboratively with our partnered firms.
Once the programme is underway, our apprentices carry out regular portfolio work to evidence their developing skills and qualities in conjunction with your apprentice lead and their college coach. The work-based evidence portfolio is signed off by the provider, employer and GSA when completed and is assessed against the defined duties within a GSA programme. Alongside this, trainees are also working on preparation for their SQE1 and SQE2.The SQE2 national exam being the end point assessment of the programmes. At the College, all this is tracked in a central learning management system to allow accountability across all three parties.
So, that’s your process for getting the GSA going in your firm. At the College we will support you step by step through the process including providing a full employer information pack and information on accessing funding etc.”
Next we spoke with Peter about what he’s seeing so far in his work collaborating with firms on the GSA.
How are firms responding to the GSA?
“We’ve got a variety of different firms working with us on the GSA. Some were already delivering the GSA with a different provider while others are very new to the programmes. They are quite similar in their overall outcomes, though - the main difference is the level of support we’re offering to help them deliver.
We’re seeing strong commitment and engagement from all firms, and as I said before, we’re seeing strong results in comparison to those putting their trainees through the usual SQE and QWE routes. The structure of the GSA is a bolster for many candidates and gives them that framework to ensure they’re getting everything they can out of their work in the firm in terms of upskilling. We’re seeing that firms are giving their apprentices that ring fenced time which is so important (and necessary for funding).
We’re also seeing lots of interest from firms who have never considered this route before. Some firms fear that taking on the GSA will bring in lots more administration, but this isn’t the case in our experience. Certainly, procedures must be followed, but this isn’t as onerous as you might think.
On the coaching side of things, feedback has also been really positive. We keep the same coach throughout the GSA, and both apprentices and coaches have shared that relationships are good - they’re certainly seeing the value of having that regular point of contact external to the firm.
I think the legal profession is waking up to the fact that pass rates really are everything - and with a funded course with great results, it’s hard to ignore the GSA.”
What to watch out for
“We have found that for the route to be a success, more traditional routes to qualifying must be seen as having the same value as the GSA. This is important to get whole firm buy-in - so if your firm isn’t certain about the route, this is something to be having discussions about.
We also feel that having a key contact in your firm to be responsible for the administration and progress of apprentices is key. Without a focal contact, the tripartite relationship crumbles a bit and you’re at risk of not meeting the clear framework and standards expected.
Finally, you cannot underestimate how important that 20% of ring fenced time is. There’s flexibility especially when you work with a provider like the College, where everything is online, but it just doesn’t work very well when it’s a case of ‘do a bit here and there’. You need to give clear support and set time aside for trainees to do the GSA right.”
How the College can support firms who want to deliver the GSA
“Getting more trainees from a wide range of backgrounds is an important tenet of our work at the College, so we’ll do as much as we can to support firms who want to diversify their training offer through the GSA and support social mobility.
Primarily what we can offer you is our time and expertise. If you’re considering the GSA but just aren’t sure, please talk to us. We have highly skilled individuals who can talk to you about what the GSA is (and isn’t), and how you can start the process of embedding it in your firm. The GSA is all about that relationship between employer, training organisation and apprentice and we’re happy to begin that long before you start your application. Talk to us!
It is worth noting that the government is currently doing a broad review of apprenticeships as a whole, as recently announced by the Prime Minister. While our current apprentices will not be affected by any changes, we want to be transparent that there may be changes coming up in the future around how apprenticeships should be delivered. We’ll happily discuss this with you too.”
Want to find out more?
Speak with Peter Liver, Chief Operations Director of The College at pliver@collegalpractice.com, or check out our GSA page for more information.