The Stockport office of a leading accountancy and advisory firm has reached 100 staff – after hiring two new apprentices.
Azets brought school leavers Bam Idowu and Max Cordingly into the company, which is the UK’s fastest growing business in the sector.
They join an experienced workforce that includes Jon Ward who also joined from school – more than 30 years ago.
He is now a partner and believes the route he took and the new apprentices have followed is good for business.
He said: “Having joined from school I learned the business from the bottom up and it was a great grounding.
“One thing that it has been good for is client retention because relationships are built early.
“I have clients with me who I began with more than three decades ago and that shared trust is important.”
Noel Hankinson, Office Managing Partner, said: “We take in around half a dozen apprentices a year and we have about 20 at the office.
“Investing in apprentices is a deliberate policy and we find they are hungry and keen to learn.
“We pay them the living wage and put them through their qualifications – typically ACA, the gold standard – which usually takes about three years.
“They become immersed in the Azets’ culture of excellence and we find retention rates are very good.
“There is a great deal of competitiveness for our apprenticeships and those coming through this route are well ahead of graduates.
“Belonging to such a fast-growing company – one of the UK’s top 10 accountancy and advisory firms – means there is a pathway to promotion.
“While it might be assumed that numeracy is the most important thing for an apprentice, diligence, punctuality, commitment and being a self-starter are crucial.
“We are now looking to build the business up to 200 staff.”
