Chartered accounting and business advisory firm, Saffery, has strengthened its Harrogate team with 12 new graduate and school leaver trainees. This follows a record intake of 14 trainees last year.
Based across four departments – audit, accounts, corporate tax and personal tax – the new appointments take the total team number at the firm’s Harrogate office to 84. The trainees will all undertake a series of qualification pathways that will take between two and four years, with dedicated time to study at college, as well as being given a Saffery mentor, who has recently been through the process, for additional support.
Audit director at Saffery, Michelle Rapson, said: “We are hugely committed to investing in the next generation of talent and each new member of the team brings fresh perspectives and ideas. It’s an exciting time to join Saffery, as we embark on the next chapter with our expansion into new offices in Leeds. We pride ourselves on being a firm that supports opportunity and promotes success, and this will only be strengthened by our new work environment.”
Fergus Watson-West, who is a manager in Saffery’s corporate tax team, said:
Appealing to a diverse range of candidates is important to us and it helps attract individuals who are genuinely interested in what we do. One way we have broadened our reach is by increasing our presence at school career events, and we are delighted by the high calibre of talent that has come through this year.
The retention rate for trainees, once they’ve qualified at Saffery, is consistently high, with a significant proportion remaining at the firm and progressing to manager level and beyond.
Fergus added:
We take pride in building long-term relationships with both colleagues and clients. By appointing enthusiastic young talent and nurturing their potential, we ensure that we have the very best people in our business for years to come.
Saffery has had a base in Harrogate town centre since 1992 and the firm recently announced that its 84-strong Yorkshire team will be expanding into Leeds later this year, after signing a lease on new offices at Wellington Place.
Saffery was established in 1855 making it one of the UK’s longest-standing independent accounting firms. Today it employs more than 1,200 people across nine UK offices.
