With the introduction of the new legal apprenticeship standards, HMLR saw this as an opportunity to upskill existing staff and develop a career path that could enable an individual to progress from caseworker to lawyer.
We already have some staff who are skilled and well qualified up to law degree level, but we - and they - are not able to recognise or get mutual benefit from those skills because career progression is limited and there have been very few opportunities for transferring between Operations and the Legal Services Directorate, or for staff to move to external jobs requiring recognised professional qualifications.
Following the introduction of the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeships, we are confident that, on completion of the apprenticeship, an individual will have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours to be able to apply for a position as a lawyer known, in HMLR, as an Assistant Land Registrar.
Successful completion of a final year of qualifying employment leads to individuals becoming Chartered Legal Executives and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (FCILEx). This is one of our current entry qualification requirements for externally recruited Assistant Land Registrars.
Our ‘People Strategy’ highlights the need to develop a professional, knowledge-based workforce, and the development of professional legal apprenticeships within HMLR supports all areas of the stated purpose of the strategy as follows:
The Learning and Development Framework underpins our People Strategy, and focuses on how we continue to build and grow organisational and individual capability within our professional and skilled workforce. It sets out how we will provide clear direction to the development of our staff, including mechanisms to enable internal career pathways.
The introduction of legal apprenticeships contributes to the key areas of focus and specific deliverables within the framework:
The nature of HMLR’s casework is changing due to digitisation. In order to ensure future sustainability, we need our staff to have the legal knowledge and understanding to use their judgment to process complex casework.
Following the introduction of the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeships, we are confident that, on completion of the apprenticeship, an individual will... be able to apply for a position as an Assistant Land Registrar
The apprenticeships relate to work at approximately higher- level executives’ casework and some lower-level lawyer work.
Internally, we offered the apprenticeships through our Opportunities for All (OFA) selection process. Applicants explained why they were interested in this development opportunity and why they felt that they were a suitable candidate for the apprenticeship.
Thirty-six individuals applied for the Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeships, with 13 being accepted on to the programme, and 24 individuals applied for the Level 6 Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship, with six being accepted. Of the successful applicants, ages range from 21 to 59 years old and we have a mix of experience.
One individual joined the organisation in 2016 whereas some others have worked for HMLR for 30-plus years. Four individuals joined HMLR in 2015 on our Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship, and are continuing to develop their career with HMLR by joining the Paralegal Apprenticeship.
Abdul, a Level 6 Apprentice based in Leicester, explained why he wanted to join the apprenticeship: ‘I did my law degree part time many years ago whilst working at HM Land Registry, and due to a combination of factors I could not pursue any postgraduate courses. I had always wondered what might have been, so when this opportunity came along I had to take it. I had also always wondered what an HMLR lawyer with good plans understanding would look like, and now I have an opportunity to be that lawyer.’
Lucy joined the Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship: ‘I wanted to know the ‘why’ behind the work I do, and the laws and regulations that underpin land registration. I have always had an interest in law and saw this apprenticeship as a great way to gain an insight into law, both from a land registration aspect and generally.’
Having considered external bodies that could support a legal apprenticeship, currently CLS is the only organisation able to meet our needs for the provision of legal apprenticeships. CLS worked with us previously during the initial development of the Land Registration Qualification (LRQ), and there are current proposals to work with them to provide independent validation of our internal training, as it is well respected and recognised externally.
The Paralegal Apprenticeship recommends specific qualifications for entry at A level. As this is a pilot, and due to our previous involvement with CLS in delivering the LRQ Diploma, it was agreed that the LRQ Diploma could be accepted as an alternative to the usual A-level requirement for the Paralegal Apprenticeship. This endorsed the value of the LRQ and provided us with additional flexibility to open this opportunity to existing caseworkers.
For the Level 6 Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship, we established, with CLS, that the entry requirement would be a law degree or the appropriate conversion route for non-law graduates (for example, the Graduate Diploma in Law) and would mean that the apprenticeship could be completed in three years. HMLR’s internal Procurement Panel approved a single tender procurement of CLS as the training provider.
Working closely with CLS, we designed a programme that was tailored to our business. We chose the routes of conveyancing and land law, which will provide individuals with an understanding and knowledge of the law that underpins land registration and support the varied work that we carry out.
Both apprentices and their supervisors attended an induction day with CLS that provided an overview of the apprenticeships, guidance on content and style, and sign up to the programmes.
CLS devised a delivery plan and a study planner for the duration of the apprenticeships, so that individuals could plan their time accordingly. The apprenticeship is delivered through a blended learning experience of face-to-face sessions, webinars, individual study and revision sessions in preparation for the exams, and coaching.
Although we are still in the early days of the apprenticeship, Lucy has commented: ‘So far, the course has been very well delivered. The taught face-to-face sessions in Birmingham have been a real help when starting a new module, and is followed up by webinars which help to clarify the topics we have been learning ourselves. I have learnt a lot about the UK government and how this operates in the UK and England and Wales.
‘I have also understood the European Union a lot more and the role they play. I have learnt about the solicitors’ side: the practices they do; and the [Solicitors Regulation Authority] Code of Conduct they have to abide by. This has given me an insight into the stages prior to applications arriving at HM Land Registry.’
‘I knew that it was going to be academically rigorous and the course has not disappointed. I have learnt how to manage my time better, and have had to relearn how to study. I have had to learn the CLS way of doing things like writing a letter or e-mail ; they are very prescriptive in the way that assignments should be completed and failing to do so will cost you marks’, commented Abdul.
As the programme continues, we will be evaluating key milestones and determining whether the legal apprenticeships are a fit for the organisation. We are hoping to roll out the apprenticeships to more offices, including our office in Wales in September 2018.