Champion adds six to its trainee programme

The Champion Group has revealed it has added six to its dedicated trainee programme.

After a recruitment drive that saw dozens of applications from youngsters finishing their A Levels or equivalent qualifications, six have been chosen to take up positions in Champion’s Manchester, Preston, Chester and Blackpool offices.

Ethan Samouelle and Mathew Dyer have joined the Manchester office as management accounts trainees, alongside new audit and accounts trainee Sam Watson.

Tharany Vijayaratnam and Thomas Ashbrook have also taken up positions as audit and accounts trainees in Blackpool and Chester respectively, and audit and accounts trainee Alex Timperley is now stationed in the Preston office.

As a Platinum ACCA-accredited employer, Champion said it has a “long history” of developing young talent, guiding trainees through further studies and qualifications alongside their day-to-day roles.

With responsibility given early on in their roles, the new recruits will also have the opportunity to shadow senior team members, many of whom arrived at Champion as trainees themselves.

Thomas Ashbrook, who achieved two A*s and an A in his A Levels this summer, said: “I’m excited about the range of experience I’ll get at Champion, and I’m hoping that this early access to real responsibilities, working with experienced colleagues, will help me to get a feel for the type of work I most enjoy and specialisms I might like to pursue in the future.

“Champion has a great reputation and a commitment to supporting its trainees through further qualifications, so this is a fantastic opportunity for me. Now that I’ve started to settle into the role, it’s clear that there’s a good team ethos across all the offices. I’m looking forward to finding out where this job will take me.”

Ged Cosgrove, group managing partner at Champion Accountants, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our trainee programme and the careers that have flourished as a result of it. Many of our senior colleagues began their careers with us as trainees and we’ve also seen plenty of staff go on to achieve incredible things elsewhere in industry after cutting their teeth in our offices, many of whom are now clients of ours.

“For the financially and professionally savvy, taking a position like this is an easy choice. Our new starters will earn while they learn, avoid university tuition fees, gain top level qualifications and learn from a dedicated team of true experts. We wish them the very best of luck, but more than that, we’ve made it our business to ensure that they succeed.”