Leeds-headquartered Northern Accountants has launched a new apprenticeship programme, to mark the company’s pledge to continually invest in young talent.
18 year-olds Chloe Gregg and Lauren Lomax – from Halifax and Leeds – have joined the growing practice as accounts apprentices. Their formal external AAT training – delivered by Kaplan and complemented by Northern Accountants’ own internal academy – will see them qualify as accountants in three years.
They join a 45-strong team with coverage across the North of England and Scotland, including nine new faces – most recently an associate tax director – welcomed over the summer.
Commenting on their appointment, Northern Accountants’ head of production and people Sophie Hill said: “We recognise that accountants have a privileged position of trust among clients, and it can take years to develop such rapport and credibility. That’s why we’ve chosen to invest in young people at the earliest stages of their career – so they can build their profile and relationships from the outset.
“This is also the reason why our own training academy treads way beyond classroom theory. We focus on the wider skills, knowledge and behaviour that will drive tangible business outcomes for our clients, offering our apprentices opportunities to learn and shadow in real world scenarios, while gathering feedback every step of the way.
“During the assessment centre phase of their selection, Chloe and Lauren both stood out for their personable, mature and reasoned approach to working with others. We recruited on the basis of values and work ethic, and their passion and commitment really shone through. I’m excited to watch them grow.”
The apprenticeship news follows several major announcements from Northern Accountants in recent months, including the bid to become a top 100 firm by 2030. The continued investment in people also comes against a backdrop of ‘job cut’ headlines in the wider industry.
Director of people Anna Masheter elaborated: “At the start of summer, multiple articles homed in on news that the ‘big four’ were slashing early career roles for school leavers and university graduates, with the AI economy cited as an important catalyst for this. It was perhaps not a surprising read. But we believe there’s a place for both.
“We’re also investing heavily in AI, with some exciting announcements set to be unveiled as we head into the final months of 2025, and beyond. We know the powerful transformational capabilities that AI can have for our organisation, and clients’ too, but we also recognise that with the right support, ‘junior’ talent won’t be junior forever.
“That’s why when others might be pulling back, we’re ploughing further investment into young people.”
Although the duo of hires represents Northern Accountants’ first official apprenticeship programme, this is not their first success story. Sarah Lockwood joined the team as an apprentice back in 2019, and has since gone on to progress to the role of client manager, with particular expertise in the construction industry.
Established 17 years ago, Northern Accountants has 700 clients and is currently ranked in the top 300 accountancy practices in the UK. While all current vacancies have been filled, anyone interested in joining Northern Accountants is encouraged to proactively apply to join the team.
