National Apprenticeship Week 2026: Opening Doors for Future Talent
Shona Radcliffe
This National Apprenticeship Week, we’re shining a light on the impact apprenticeships have across our business. Hear from our Emerging Talent & Development Advisor, Shona Radcliffe, about how we support people at every stage of their career and create accessible pathways into the legal and insurance sectors.
At Carpenters Group, we understand the immense value that apprenticeships can bring to our business, not only to bring in fresh talent and kickstart someone’s career, but also to upskill our people at all levels to create career progression and development opportunities.
As Emerging Talent and Development Advisor, my role is to guide the successful recruitment, training and growth of our apprentices and emerging talent, alongside supporting the ongoing development of our colleagues.
For many people, apprenticeships offer a more accessible route into the world of work. They give you a chance to earn money whilst completing core academic learning, and enter the workplace to build real-life, hands-on experience sooner.
I’m proud that at Carpenters, increasing access to opportunities for young people is so actively and vocally championed by our senior leaders. We understand the value of a diverse workforce - offering apprenticeships as an entry-level route into the business not only helps to level the playing field, but also brings us a wealth of different experiences, skills and knowledge that ultimately strengthens #TeamCarpenters.
To date, we have supported apprenticeships across Legal, IT, Finance, Marketing, Insurance, Administration, Leadership and more – with several of our people completing multiple apprenticeships to progress even further in the business. Apprenticeships aren’t only for those starting their careers, they also offer a route for people to upskill and progress at a variety of levels. We believe in growing our own talent, and work hard to support all our apprentices into permanent, rewarding roles within Carpenters Group.
Many of our apprentices have joined us straight from school, and to ensure a successful transition into the workplace, we deliver dedicated work-readiness training sessions to all new apprentices throughout their first few months settling in. We cover everything from what to expect in your first few weeks in the workplace and how to show initiative, to writing effective emails and managing your workload. In their day-today work, apprentices at Carpenters are working alongside colleagues and senior leaders with decades of experience in their fields, which we see to be a fantastic opportunity to learn from the best!
The qualities I consistently see in our most successful early careers hires are initiative, enthusiasm and curiosity. We don’t expect people to arrive with years of experience or in-depth knowledge – that's what the apprenticeship and our supportive teams are here to help them develop. Instead, we look for those who are genuinely passionate about building a career in legal or insurance, and who take any opportunity to work hard and develop their own skills
