Students participating in the Access Ashurst legal work experience programme will receive the London Living Wage from July 2022.
Candidates selected for the two-week programme will be in Year 12 (16/17 year olds) and meet PRIME’s social mobility criteria. The programme offers participants the ability to learn more about a career in law through a programme of skills workshops, work shadowing and mentoring support.
Ella Blakesley, Social Impact Manager and Access Ashurst lead commented:
“Work experience has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of young people. Unpaid work experience, however, poses a challenge to those from low socio-economic backgrounds who often cannot afford to give up paid part-time/holiday work. We want to eliminate this additional barrier and paying our Access Ashurst students the London Living Wage is one step in that and reflects our commitment to social mobility and removing the barriers that exist for young people.”
Nicholas Cheffings, PRIME Chair, commented:
“Not for the first time, Ashurst is leading the way in making the profession more accessible. This initiative makes it possible for young people who need financial support to be able to pursue their dreams to do exactly that.”
The introduction of paid work experience follows on from various other changes made to the London office programme, including:
- Opening Access Ashurst applications up to students from across the UK
- Introducing a more competitive recruitment and selection process aligning with the firm’s Early Careers practice
- Introducing a year-long virtual mentoring programme in partnership with Brightside to provide students with additional support from a dedicated Ashurst mentor
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