Partnership to deliver new legal services T Levels in Lancashire

Law firm Brabners has joined forces with a Darwen based academic trust to become the UK's first founding employer sponsor of a legal services T Level.

The firm, which has a based in Preston, alongside Aldridge Education, has established an employer led initiative called Backing Ambition, working with the 650-strong True North business network.

Brabners will co-design the curriculum and lead employer engagement for the new T Level delivered by Aldridge Education at its Darwen academies - Darwen Aldridge Community Academy and Darwen Vale High School - welcoming its first cohort of Year 12 students in September 2027. A level three technical qualification, equivalent to three A Levels, the two-year course blends classroom study with a 45-day on site industry placement.

Rather than limiting placement capacity to its own offices, Brabners will establish an employer consortium of aligned law firms across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, ensuring all students in the cohort secure work placements.

In addition, Brabners has agreed to invest in the expansion of the Aldridge Foundation’s Next Steps programme, which supports young people as they progress from education into university, apprenticeships and employment. 

Brabners colleagues — ranging from chief executive Robert White to trainee solicitors, legal apprentices and business operations specialists — will volunteer as one-to-one mentors for bursary scholars.

Mentors will receive specialised training from the Aldridge Foundation to guide students through career decisions, application processes and the transition into professional working environments. Brabners will also host regular skills workshops and mock assessment days at its offices in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Lancashire and London.

Robert White said: “With the second phase of the Alan Milburn Review set to shine an urgent national spotlight on youth unemployment and transition challenges to work, we cannot afford to sit back and wait to respond.

“The blueprint for bridging the gap between education and employment will not be written in white papers - it has to be built by partnerships between employers and educators in their communities. Across the country, talent and ambition exist in abundance, but access to professional networks, industry advocates and practical experience does not.

“Consistent with our mission to ‘make the difference’ - with purpose, performance and personality - we believe business must lead from the front. Through this groundbreaking partnership with the Aldridge Foundation and by sponsoring the legal services T Level and funding its Next Steps bursaries, we are getting ahead of the curve and backing the next generation of young talent with real opportunities.

“More widely, through Backing Ambition, we are inviting the 650-strong True North network of like minded businesses to join us - whether by mentoring, offering work experience, or creating entry-level jobs - to play our part in ensuring the country’s future workforce is connected with the opportunities they deserve.”

Sir Rod Aldridge, founder and chair of the Aldridge Foundation, said: “Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. For more than 20 years, the Aldridge Foundation has worked to ensure that a young person’s background does not determine their future.

“Qualifications matter enormously, but they are only part of the picture. Young people also need confidence, practical experience and, critically, the professional networks that too many take for granted.

“What makes this partnership with Brabners so important is that it brings education and business together to provide those opportunities. Through the legal services T Level, our Next Steps programme and the wider Backing Ambition partnership, we can help young people develop not only the qualifications, but also the experience and connections they need to succeed.

“Brabners is demonstrating what can be achieved when employers take an active role in developing the next generation. Our ambition is to encourage many more businesses across the north to follow its lead.”