A worthwhile investment

Employer support is an incredibly important factor in student success, and it is a win for everyone, with the knowledge gained benefiting the employee, the organisation and its clients. The value is evident in this year’s winner line-up: nine of this year’s winners work for firms accredited for their learning and development provision on STEP’s Employer Partnership Programme – Carey Olsen Jersey LLP; Blake Morgan LLP; Walkers; HSBC Bank plc, Jersey Branch; Bedell Cristin; Brodies LLP; Harper Macleod LLP; and Anderson Strathern LLP.

‘Anderson Strathern is involved with STEP because it is the premier professional body representing private client law practitioners. We require all of our private client solicitors to be qualified to STEP Diploma level and find the course of study to be very thorough. As a Gold Investor in People we are committed to developing our solicitors in line with best practice, and the STEP Diploma contributes to that.’

Anderson Strathern LLP (Platinum Employer Partner)

Working with employers

STEP’s Employer Partnership Programme was established in 2014 to enable us to work closely with employers to support the professional development of our members and build on the credibility of the STEP brand by:

Providing a comprehensive and structured support programme with access to a wide range of online resources and personal support

Promoting industry-wide recognition of the STEP accreditation, thus helping accredited partners to demonstrate their credentials as quality employers

Enabling accredited partners to network and share good practice with like-minded employers

‘Blackadders’ core value is to provide an environment where continuous development can take place and where staff are supported and enabled to meet the changing demands and priorities of the firm and its clients. We encourage all private client solicitors to complete the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates – Scotland. It is the most comprehensive and relevant qualification in the trusts and estates field. It provides our clients with assurance that they are receiving advice from highly qualified solicitors.’

Louise Abercrombie, Blackadders LLP (Platinum Employer Partner)

How EPP works

The Employer Partnership Programme (EPP) has been designed to help employers maximise the learning of their STEP members and is offered across three accreditation levels: Employer Partner, Gold Employer Partner and Platinum Employer Partner. Once an employer has demonstrated that it meets one of the three levels, the organisation’s learning and development programme is endorsed with an appropriate EPP logo. This signals to stakeholders, prospective employees and the general business community that it values professional development and substantiates this with resources and a supportive organisational learning culture.

‘The STEP Diploma is well structured and achieves the right blend of theory and practical application, covering a wide range of topics in appropriate depth. The course materials are comprehensive and the tutoring is excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to prospective students.’

Stephen Evans, Blake Morgan LLP (Platinum Employer Partner)