Through her school’s careers adviser, Rebecca Mogford, Beth discovered new options she hadn’t considered before.
Beth explained: “I told Rebecca that my interest was in law and I didn’t really want to go to university, but I was really open to college. So initially I thought I’d be doing maybe A levels and law would be one of the options.”
Rebecca helped Beth to research options and found that JCP Solicitors offered apprenticeships through CILEX (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives). She also encouraged Beth to attend an open evening to learn more.
Beth said: “I found the open evening really helpful because I was able to see what kind of environment I would be working in if I was successful. They even showed me step by step how my career route would look.”
After the open evening at JCP Solicitors, Beth felt confident she wanted to apply for the apprenticeship. Rebecca suggested ways to enhance Beth’s CV, such as practising touch typing, completing online courses, and learning the phonetic alphabet.
Beth explained: “Rebecca really did enhance my CV, which I then applied with, and they offered me an interview. I had an in-person interview and then within a week they gave me a start date. It all started from that meeting with Rebecca.”
Now, Beth works as an apprentice at JCP Solicitors. She spends four days a week in the business support team and one day a week at Gower College studying for her CILEX qualification. After that she hopes to progress to Level 5, with the long-term goal of becoming a solicitor.
Beth said: “I don’t think there’s much awareness about all the apprenticeships that are out there. I never knew I’d be able to do an apprenticeship in law. You’re earning while you’re learning and getting practical experience.”
Her sessions with Rebecca gave her the confidence to pursue her goal.
“I wouldn’t be in this position without her. She definitely built my confidence towards applying for this role.”
Beth’s story is just one example of how Careers Wales empowers young people to take confident steps toward their futures. In schools, careers advisers like Rebecca held over 80,000 guidance sessions with young people, supporting pupils like Beth to explore their career options.
Across Wales, young people were equipped with the tools and experiences they need for life beyond the classroom. More than 38,600 learners took part in group career-planning sessions and Careers Wales coordinated 1,704 employer-led activities—ranging from mock interviews to site visits—with secondary schools.
Last year alone, over 420,000 individuals used the Careers Wales website, with over 46,000 using the Career Match Quiz to discover jobs aligned with their skills and interests.
[Lead image: Careers Wales]
