Barrons, Apprenticeships and local schools
Barrons has always been a Practice that embraces youth. One which seeks to give ambitious local young people the potential of building a professional career close to their home, negating the need for travel to London and further afield as not necessary to fulfil dreams. We have followed a path of continuous investment in young people throughout Barrons history. We have many examples of people who have gone on to represent the Practice at all sorts of professional and commercial levels.
As a company, we passionately believe in creating an in-house succession through our Apprenticeship programmes. We’re seeking to maintain Barrons well beyond its rapidly approaching 100th year of Public Practice in Southend and South East Essex.
We actively work with schools and colleges, through a dedicated team of specialists, to make our opportunity open to as many as we can. Our team visit local schools to attend careers evenings, provide specialist talks and we have recruited apprentices extensively from schools and colleges in the areas surrounding our practice.
Our local apprentices
Through our connections with local schools and our established apprenticeship evenings, we have recruited local talent to join us as apprentices.
- Ray Burkmar and Connor Brooks joined us from King Johns School in 2024
In 2024, we were also joined by Niamh Lunn and Rebecca Terry from Sweyne Park School.- In the past, Steven Byford joined us after completing his A’ levels at Southend High School for Boys.
- George Weaver joined us from The Deanes School in Thundersley.
- Jennifer Ndou attended Southchurch High School and King Edmund Sixth Form before joining Barrons
- Conor Parmenter joined us from the Appleton School
All of our current apprentices were recruited from schools less than a few miles from Barrons offices.
What local schools say about Barrons
The Sweyne Park School
Barrons have been brilliant advocates for apprenticeships in accountancy and marketing, They have visited our Sixth Form to share their expertise with year 12s on life as a chartered accountant and apprenticeship roles. Students have been inspired to think about their next steps with more clarity and vision, to apply for apprenticeships and the Barrons’ team have provided valuable experience of interview techniques which have built students confidence enormously. We are very grateful for their time and expertise!
Helen Banks Sweyne Park
The King John School
Barrons Chartered Accountants have played an instrumental role in shaping the career aspirations of our students at The King John School. Their proactive support and commitment to fostering a passion for accountancy have made a significant impact on our school community. Over the last few years, Barrons has consistently contributed to key events in our careers calendar, from Careers Fairs to hosting insightful apprenticeship events. Their involvement has not only provided our students with invaluable industry knowledge but has also opened doors to real-world opportunities via work experience placements and also employment on their apprenticeship programme.
We are forever grateful for Barrons continued dedication to supporting our students to become the next generation of professionals and are excited to continue working together to offer students a pathway to success in the world of accountancy.
King John School
USP College
“At USP College, we highly value our successful working relationship with Barrons Chartered Accountants. We have previously had the opportunity to visit their premises to discuss curriculum developments in the field of accounting and explore how we can best prepare our students for the workplace. A key takeaway from our discussions was the importance of developing students’ soft skills, such as communication and teamwork, alongside their technical knowledge.
We were also delighted to host an informative session delivered by representatives from Barrons to our Year 2 students who are keen to pursue careers in accountancy. The session highlighted the exciting apprenticeship opportunities available at Barrons, giving our students valuable insights into potential career pathways and the necessary next steps.
Barrons has a strong history of recruiting USP College alumni, and we are thrilled that a number of our current students have applied for their 2025 apprenticeship intake. These students will soon be taking part in Barrons’ selection process, and we look forward to seeing them take their first steps into the profession.
A huge thank you to Barrons for their continued support and engagement with USP College – we appreciate the opportunities they provide for our students and look forward to further strengthening our partnership in the future!”
USP College
What we say about the government apprenticeship scheme
We’ve left it to our Managing Partner, Gary Raven, to have the last word on apprenticeships and Barrons. This quote sums things up perfectly:
“We passionately believe in creating an in-house succession through our Apprenticeship programmes – seeking to maintain Barrons well beyond its rapidly approaching 100th year of Public Practice in Southend and South East Essex.”
Read more about our apprentices in this article.
If you are interested in finding out more about apprenticeships at Barrons, please contact Elaine Tillbrook elainet@barrons-bds.com
