Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships funding

At the Labour Party conference in September 2024, the UK government proposed changes to apprenticeships in England.

This included introducing a new growth and skills levy to replace the existing apprenticeship levy.

The new levy aims to create more opportunities for young people through foundation apprenticeships in critical sectors. It will be overseen by the government’s new skills and training body, Skills England.

Level 7 apprenticeships (equivalent to a master’s degree) will no longer be funded by the growth and skills levy. This is currently the only apprenticeship route to qualify as a solicitor in England.

Level 7 apprenticeships are also not currently offered in Wales.

Our view

Level 7 apprenticeships are an important route into the profession for aspiring solicitors.

They offer many benefits for law firms and lead to higher SQE pass rates for aspiring solicitors.

By allowing aspiring solicitors to earn while they learn, apprenticeships remove financial barriers and help address underrepresentation. They are vital for promoting social mobility and improving diversity in the legal profession.

Level 7 apprenticeships can help small and medium-sized regional firms address skills gaps by recruiting local talent. Without apprenticeships, more and more aspiring solicitors will move to big cities to complete their studies.

This is particularly true in Wales, where a lack of level 7 apprenticeships has forced Welsh aspiring solicitors to move to England to train. This has resulted in an exodus of talent from local communities, many of which are already legal aid deserts.

We want the UK government to:

• continue funding level 7 apprenticeships for the legal sector in England
• introduce level 7 legal sector apprenticeships in Wales
• map skills gaps in legal services to identify areas of need
• ensure legal qualifications and training in AI and lawtech are included in levy-eligible training
• continue supporting small and medium-sized businesses by funding skills training, particularly AI-related skills

What we’re doing

Spring 2022

Level 3 paralegal and level 5 advanced paralegal apprenticeships are introduced in Wales.

This follows long-term lobbying by the Law Society and over two years of negotiation with the Welsh government, further education providers, CILEX and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers.

March 2024

We published our Reimagining Justice in Wales 2030 consultation.

We followed our members’ recommendations and began to campaign for the Welsh government to introduce level 7 apprenticeships, to match the offer in England.

October 2024

Working with University of Wales Trinity St David, we launched a consultation to gather views on bringing level 7 legal apprenticeships to Wales.

The consultation focused on eligibility and feasibility and concluded in January 2025.

The results will be published in February 2025.

November 2024

We called on the UK government to maintain level 7 apprenticeships in England and introduce them in Wales.

These asks were included in our response to the industrial strategy consultation.

The industrial strategy sets out the government’s 10-year plan for economic growth. It has the potential to help address recruitment and skills gaps in the legal sector.

Learn more about the industrial strategy

Next steps

We’re continuing to have constructive conversations with the Ministry of Justice, Department of Business and Trade, and Department for Education about level 7 apprenticeships.

In Wales, we have begun discussions with Welsh government ministers to encourage the funding of level 7 apprenticeships in Wales.

We will keep our members updated on any changes to level 7 funding.

For now, level 7 apprenticeship programmes are still running in England. We encourage firms and individuals to continue engaging with these opportunities.