Gordons wins Apprenticeship Ambassador Award

Gordons is celebrating after winning the Apprenticeship Ambassador category at the Leeds Apprenticeship Awards 2013.

The award recognises a team or individual that is a leading advocate for apprenticeships, proactively promoting them as an excellent career choice for young people. The awards are organised by Leeds City Council in partnership with Leeds City College, Leeds College of Building and the National Apprenticeship Service. Winners were announced at an event held at Leeds Civic Hall on March 12, during National Apprenticeship Week.

Open to teams across the Leeds area, the category required Gordons to demonstrate its apprenticeship programme’s content, targets and diversity of opportunities along with the firm’s involvement in creating links in association with apprenticeships.

Gordons also provided evidence of how it branded and publicised the scheme, including hosting a debate in Leeds on social mobility with the Rt Hon Alan Milburn, Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

Gordons human resources manager, Karen Mills, who run the firm’s apprenticeship scheme, was presented with the award at the event. On the evening the judges specifically commended Gordons’ innovative use of apprenticeships within the legal profession.

Commenting on the award, Karen said: “We are extremely pleased that our continued commitment to providing young people with an opportunity to enter the legal profession has been recognised by Leeds City Council.

“We were one of the first law firms to establish an apprenticeship scheme delivering a graduate equivalent qualification and have been running it successfully now for over two years. We are currently recruiting our 2013 intake, with one apprentice already confirmed on the programme.”