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Nottingham Law School to train Crown Prosecution Service solicitor apprentices

Nottingham Law School (NLS) is to deliver Solicitor Apprenticeships for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after being awarded one of only two UK contracts.

Justice scales
NLS has innovated its courses in preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam

The contract will see NLS, part of Nottingham Trent University, deliver the programme for the North of England.

This year 15 learners have joined NLS, with up to 10 per year expected thereafter for at least three years.

Learners, who will work for the CPS during the programme, will complete four years of the LLB Law (Distance Learning) course.

The final two years will be preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). At the end of the programme the apprentices will have a Qualifying Law Degree and, subject to successfully completing the SQE, will be qualified as solicitors and progress to a Crown Prosecutor role within the CPS.

Helen Hudson, head of department at NLS, said: “As one of only two providers of this programme in the country, the awarding of this contract shows the quality of legal education at Nottingham Law School. We have innovated our courses ahead of SQE to meet the needs of an evolving legal profession, this makes us perfectly placed to train future CPS solicitors.”

Patrick Harwood, head of Learning & Development at the CPS, said: “We are proud to be able to offer this opportunity to employees aspiring to become fully qualified Crown Prosecutors. Our partnership with NLS allows employees from diverse backgrounds to access high quality training and hone their operational skills and knowledge. We are committed to supporting individual careers as part of our Prosecutor Pathway scheme and developing the future generation of legal professionals.”

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    About Nottingham Trent University

    Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was named University of the Year 2019 in the Guardian University Awards. The award was based on performance and improvement in the Guardian University Guide, retention of students from low-participation areas and attainment of BME students. NTU was also the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2017, and The Times and Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2018. These awards recognise NTU for its high levels of student satisfaction, its quality of teaching, its engagement with employers, and its overall student experience.

    The university has been rated Gold in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework – the highest ranking available.

    It is one of the largest UK universities. With nearly 32,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across four campuses, the University contributes £900m to the UK economy every year. With an international student population of more than 3,000 from around 100 countries, the University prides itself on its global outlook

    The university is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable NTU to be a vehicle for social mobility. NTU is among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A total of 82% of its graduates go on to graduate entry employment or graduate entry education or training within six months of leaving. Student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 87% satisfaction score in the 2019 National Student Survey.

    NTU is also one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly universities, containing some of the sector’s most inspiring and efficient award-winning buildings.

    NTU is home to world-class research, and won The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage; enable safer production of powdered infant formula; and combat food fraud.

Published on 6 January 2020
  • Category: Business; Press office; Nottingham Law School