A leading Cumbrian accountancy firm is celebrating its largest cohort of trainees to date.
Over 30 trainees have taken up roles with Armstrong Watson, marking its largest intake of Level 4 apprentices.
The business, which was ranked 29th in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2025, has a long commitment to nurturing future talent and takes on a number of apprentices every year to work towards their Association of Accounting Technicians and Association of Tax Technicians qualifications.
This month, 26 new students have embarked on the AAT course, while eight have started the ATT – up from 28 trainees in 2024.
Their appointments were celebrated this week when the firm held a Your Journey Starts Here event at the Halston in Carlisle, where 2024 and 2025 trainees recruits from offices across the country had an opportunity to gain valuable insights into the business and heard from colleagues who had progressed through the courses they are undertaking.
Armstrong Watson is also launching applications for its 2026 cohort and ahead of a careers open evening at James Watson House, the firm’s head office, in Rosehill, Carlisle, on November 11.
Based at regional offices across the North of England and Scotland, trainees work within the business services and tax compliance teams to receive hands-on experience alongside classroom study as they work towards their qualifications.
Those who qualify then have the opportunity to apply for the ACA or CTA graduate schemes to progress to become a chartered accountant or chartered tax advisor.
This year, Armstrong Watson has also welcomed 43 new graduate trainees, who are working towards their level 7 apprenticeship qualifications.
Chief executive and managing partner Paul Dickson said: “We are once again delighted to welcome our new trainees to the business.
“We strongly believe in growing our own talent and continue to invest in our training programme year on year, taking on more trainees as our business continues to grow.
“Our people are our businesses, providing solutions to our clients, and our training programme gives them an incredible foundation on which to build a successful career.”
In the last 18 months, Armstrong Watson has acquired Gibbons Accountants in Cumbria, and Glasgow-based practices Parkhill Mackie & Co and Martin Aitken, welcoming an additional 170 and many more clients to look after.
Paul added: “With 19 offices across the North of England and Scotland and several different service lines supporting our clients, there’s a huge range of scope for career direction and development available to those who choose to join us on this exciting journey.”
Spaces for the open evening in November can be booked at armstrongwatson.info/careersevent.
