Babington x Grant Thornton - accounting excellence with Marston Holdings

Marston Holdings support the government, utilities and private sectors through the delivery of market leading integrated technology-enabled solutions from design and implementation to management and recovery. Marston Holdings began enforcing court orders almost 40 years ago. Since then, they have grown organically and through acquisition to provide a multitude of end-to-end services that support the implementation of public policy and now recover over £850m each year on behalf of the taxpayer, as well as serving private and commercial clients.

Marston Holdings have over 5,000 staff and contractors across more than 100 offices across the UK, yet were struggling to recruit new innovative talent who could be supported and nurtured into the Marston way of working. Additionally they wanted new talent to gain a Level 3 Assistant Accountant (AAT) qualification to boost the accountancy skills pool within the organisation. Apprenticeship programmes had been floated as a solution within the organisation, and Marstons Holdings had an aspiration to embrace apprenticeships as a means to attract and retain talent.

The team at Babington worked with Marston Holdings to get a full understanding of what their requirements were and tailor the best solution for them. This resulted in the identification of the Assistant Accountant Level 3 Apprenticeship as an ideal fit for Marston.

The Assistant Accounting programme combines dedicated workplace mentoring, on-the-job experience, access to high-quality online resources alongside a blended delivery model. The apprenticeship builds employees with a foundation of necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours required to become a highly competent Assistant Accountant.

The programme was designed in partnership with Grant Thornton, one of the world’s largest Professional Services Networks of independent accounting and consulting member firms. The expertise and knowledge they have brought to the programme made it ideal for Marston Holding’s needs. Babington used a variety of networks and processes to find potential apprentices most suited to the requirements and the culture and ethos at Marston Holdings.

Ultimately six ideal candidates were found and placed on the programme and Babington continues to work with Marston in the delivery of the programme as well as monitoring of progress and assisting with any issues and queries.

The six recruits are well into their first year at Marston and have already become valuable assets. The feedback from both the apprentices and the team at Marston has been extremely positive. Two of the apprentices have accepted permanent positions at Marston and the remainder have expressed interest in future opportunities.

Apprentice Spotlight

We asked Daniel Lowther, one of the six apprentices placed with Marston Holdings, a few questions about his experience.

What made you consider this apprenticeship?

The opportunity to develop my skills while earning at the same time. Completing an apprenticeship also provides flexibility in my personal life and allows me to keep things organised.

How did you hear about Marston Holdings?

After applying for my apprenticeship, I carried out some research on Marston. This was only brief until I got offered my interview. After that I learnt a lot about the company values that Marston prides themselves on and I knew it was something I was keen to get involved in.

How were the first few months?

The first few months have been great. Working within the team I do has given me a lot of exposure to how a team works together to hit targets and maintain high volumes of work. I have been given the opportunity to learn several different processed within our team which has improved my decision-making skills and communication skills. At the very start of my apprenticeship, I felt a little bit out of my depth because of my lack of experience in finance but now I feel much more comfortable.

How have you developed personally and professionally? 

I feel as if I have come a long way both personally and professionally. Personally, I can enjoy
my work and feel as if I am able to express both personal and professional issues when
needed which is especially important to me. Professionally I feel I have come on leaps and
bounds. I can work within my team to discuss ideas to get an insight on goals etc. I am also able to work with people outside my team to deal with queries which for me shows how much my knowledge in finance has improved.

Would you do another apprenticeship to progress your career?

I don’t see why not – I have thoroughly enjoyed the one I am doing so far so if furthered me in the direction I wanted to go in I don’t see why not.

Would you recommend apprenticeships to others?

Absolutely, the opportunity to gain experience a qualification and get paid all at the same time is fantastic. It doesn’t provide as much pressure as university and can take you just as far as a degree if not further.

To find out more about our accountancy based apprenticeships, visit our accountancy pages.