Bolton West MP, Chris Green met with CEO of Keoghs LLP, John Whittle at the Top 50 law firm’s head office in Horwich to learn more about the firm’s dedication to the local economy as it celebrates its 50th year.
Founded in 1968 and originally based in an office on Chorley New Road, Keoghs has maintained a strong presence in the town. Now, 50 years on, Keoghs has a workforce of over 1700 and offices in 7 locations including Bolton, London, Liverpool, Coventry, Manchester, Glasgow and Southampton.
With over 1,200 of Keoghs’ workforce based in Bolton, MP Chris Green learnt how Keoghs continuously invests in its people and supports the local community through a range of initiatives from an award-winning ‘Earn While You Learn’ apprenticeship programme to the firm’s award-nominated Sector Based Work Academy.
Keoghs’ sector based work academy was first launched back in 2016, with the goal of helping young people who have been unemployed for more than six months get back into work. In partnership with Job Centre Plus, Bolton College and Bolton Council, the academy has proven to be a great success and has employed a total of 42 people in positions offering a variation of career paths.
The apprenticeship programme set up by Keoghs targets young people seeking a career in the legal profession but who may be deterred by the prospect of university fees, allowing them to gain invaluable, paid experience whilst also beginning their law studies without the costs.
Hot off the heels of winning Best Company for Apprentice Development at last week’s Bolton Business Awards, Head of People, Jo Wright who also met the MP, commented: “What makes Keoghs different is our people and we’re very proud that this has been recognised by the Bolton Business Awards. It is also great to see the success of our apprenticeship programmes being acknowledged, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of those who have forged careers through this path.”
John Whittle, CEO at Keoghs, continued: “It’s a pleasure to have Chris with us to share our experience of Keoghs working with the local community. As a business we are continually growing, with our award winning apprenticeship schemes and sector based working initiative, our key focus is to provide young people in our local communities with the help and means to get into work. We are dedicated to educating and developing young legal professionals. On the back of the success of the schemes in Bolton we are delighted to be launching the initiative in our Liverpool office later this year”.
MP Chris Green says, “I was delighted to have been invited to Keoghs’ head office in its 50th year and to hear more about the work which they do and the employment opportunities which they provide for Bolton residents. The success of the firm is testament to its people and after hearing more about the firms’ future ambitions, I am looking forward to watching the firm go from strength to strength”.
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