The BPE DNA – Rewarding careers in the legal world.

BPE is an ambitious and expanding law firm, established by innovators and mould breakers who do things differently. Innovation in law is no longer a trend or mere hype, but a tangible and urgent need. Although our leadership and people have changed over the years, our passion for innovation and our refreshing, imaginative approach remain at the core of our culture.

opportunities. Law continues to become more diverse and specialised and the expertise required to meet those broad and increasingly sophisticated client needs offers a huge opportunity to anyone wanting a career in law.

No longer is it just about being a solicitor, paralegal or PA in any one of the numerous fields of law now needing expert advisory services, it is also about legal technicians interacting with clever AI software and legal project managers co-ordinating complex transactions or legal projects.

At BPE, through our enviable client list, our people enjoy an exciting range and complexity of work, thus offering excellent, flexible career opportunities at all levels.

Any law firm that wants to be an employer of choice in the modern new world must offer greater flexibility in working patterns and typically less commuting.

Whilst the pandemic has changed the way firms work, for many the expectation of putting in very long hours remains the same, which can take a toll on personal and family life.

At BPE, we tailor our flexible working to suit every individual’s needs and believe strongly in working to achieve a true worklife balance.

We know that if our people are happy and well looked after, then so are our clients. We’re lucky enough to enjoy the best of both worlds – City-quality work with the beauty and vibrancy of Cheltenham and the Cotswolds on our doorstep.

Clients are vital, but talent is of the essence in the legal sector. To attract young talent, firms and organisations must appreciate the driving factors and goals of upcoming lawyers.

The next generation of lawyers are hungry to learn quickly and have responsibility. They have less appetite for the mundane tasks traditionally associated with a historic legal training and want to embrace the opportunities offered by technology. They thrive in a less hierarchical structure where the emphasis is on team achievement over the individual, in the same way a focus on minimising the negative impact on our world must be central to their day to day.

“A key differentiator for our people is that we encourage people to be themselves, with their colleagues and our clients, and although we're not a family firm, the support and teamwork makes it feel like one”

- Antonia Shield, Managing Partner

At BPE we nurture talent. We are a collective of remarkable individuals and we work hard to create a business and environment to support our people to be the best they can. For aspiring people at any level, BPE offers a more rewarding career in law because of the importance we place on allowing people to be themselves and getting the balance right between life and work.

We are always on the lookout for ambitious, enthusiastic lawyers with exceptional talent.

bpe.co.uk/careers/

Most companies will say that their most important asset is their sta . But when a company’s needs change, does that mean they need new employees with di erent skills, or can they retrain existing sta ?

According to a McKinsey report, in about 75 per cent of cases, it pays for an organisation to reskill an employee—yet few do this systematically.

Its research reveals that, for UK employers, reskilling would deliver positive economic returns in about three-quarters of cases. If workers are to realise the full benefits of reskilling over the next decade, more than 90 per cent of the UK workforce will need to be trained. Yet reality currently falls short of potential: according to a UK government survey, 62 per cent of workers received workplace training in 2017. This figure includes training related to health and safety or the induction of new employees.

Kevin Holt is CEO of Gloucestershire Enterprise and Training. He said: “Sta skills may have dropped during the pandemic when many had to work from home or during furlough.

“In the past 12 months all organisations have faced unprecedented circumstances, but we know that capable, e ective and adaptable leaders will prove critical in an organisation’s recovery and growth. Not just the leaders at the top, but every level must be capable of putting their hands on the rope and pulling together.”

Gloucestershire Enterprise’s courses range from short one-day quick fixes in specific skill sets, such as time management, e ective coaching, IT skills and project management to longer sustained development programmes.

WMG Skills Centre launched to bridge technical skills gap

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), part of the University of Warwick, has opened a new skills centre offering short courses to help businesses equip workforces with the latest technical skills.

Over the last five years businesses and organisations across the UK have faced many challenges, from Brexit to Covid, with the next milestone being the urgent requirement to respond to the need to achieve Net Zero.

The WMG Skills Centre is offering courses covering digital manufacturing, energy systems, intelligent vehicles and manufacturing. Further courses will be added during the year.

The courses range from half-day workshops to five-day courses, all supporting skills growth.

Although the WMG Skills Centre is new, it is based on the success of courses previously been run by WMG, such as The Battery School.

Dr Graham Hoare, President of Global Operations at the Britishvolt the Coventryheadquartered company which is building a gigafactory in Northumberland, attended the Battery School course last year.

He said: “I have worked in the powertrain divisions of blue-chip car companies such as Ford, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover in the past.

The course at WMG effectively allows people like me, who have got good mechanical experience, to really understand and appreciate battery technology and enable us to lead teams of battery scientists in the future.”

Funding to boost training in South Gloucestershire

People in South Gloucestershire will benefit from new funding to boost skills and help businesses grow.

The cash follows a successful bid co-ordinated by the West of England Combined Authority.

Pop-up hubs will be set up in vacant high streets units and shopping centres to provide training and development opportunities. Employment support coaches based in the hubs will work with businesses, training providers and other agencies to improve access to a wide range of training courses, apprenticeship schemes and support local candidates to secure apprenticeships.

The programme is funded from the government’s UK Community Recovery Fund and will be delivered by South Gloucestershire Council. It will improve access to training for those who face employment barriers.

A proportion of the funding will be earmarked for developing green skills including the introduction of two Biodiversity Apprentices at South Gloucestershire Council.

If your business needs talented professionals to grow, you may have to fight harder for them than ever before.

The biggest challenge to a company’s growth in 2022 will be, according to many HR commentators and surveys, a shortage of talent. It is harder than ever to attract and retain high-achieving employees.

Companies which recognised this a few years ago have a distinct advantage, because building a talent pipeline takes time – years in fact.

Added to that, every business wants to hang on to the employees they’ve got. And that means they are looking at what career growth and promotion prospects they offer, how they can make sure staff feel valued, the quality of their working environments (see our feature on cool office spaces on pages 89-95), and what they can offer them in continuous professional development, life-long learning opportunities and flexibility.

And we haven’t even mentioned the new, pandemic-driven hybrid or remote working, where your staff expect to work wherever they want, or perhaps prefer a four-day working week.