With 30 years of business under its belt, Leigh Christou Accountants has gone from strength to strength, including being the first firm in the UK to be awarded the ACCA Quality Kite Mark.
Over the years the practice has employed many staff members, some of whom remain with the company today. Leigh Christou Limited prides itself on a highly dedicated team who share the commitment to their clients and strive to offer a professional service at all times.
Apprenticeships have been a key part of Leigh Christou’s success. Working in partnership with CWT Chamber Training, Leigh Christou has recruited valuable team members as Apprentices and supported their training through to professional levels.
The firm currently has two Apprentices, Corrine McNicholas and Kayne Dunne, who will be taking their Intermediate AAT Level 3 this summer and a further Apprentice, Tom Curtis, who will be joining them in July, post ‘A’ level study. With such a good team in place, it makes a real difference to the vitality of the business.
Leigh Christou believe their greatest staff success stories are Apprentices who have joined the firm from school and worked their way through accountancy study to ultimately achieve professional success.
Siobhan Harkin joined Leigh Christou, as an Apprentice, after finishing school in 2004 and is now AAT and ACCA qualified. She is currently ‘Business Services Manager’ heading up a strong team and using her skills to train new Apprentices.
Steven Walsgrove, like Siobhan, joined Leigh Christou Limited as an Apprentice straight from school in 2007 and succeeded at AAT before commencing his ACCA studies in 2010.
David Sellers joined in 2009 post ‘AS’ level and is now qualified AAT and working towards his first module of ACCA.
Throughout this time, CWT Chamber Training has worked hand-in-hand with Leigh Christou to ensure that Apprenticeships truly benefit the business, ensuring that the right people recruited and developed in a way which brings a real return on investment. CWT Chamber Training has a proven track record in successfully training Apprentices, with success rates for 2012 of over 93% compared to the national average of 74%.
Leigh Christou Limited believes the recipe for success is ultimately developing a team of strong capable individuals and then applying their individual strengths to develop the team as a whole, with Apprenticeships playing a vital part in this. Thankfully this is something they appear to have achieved judging by the commendations they have received from their clients. Good luck for the next 30 years!
If you would to find out how your organisation can enjoy the benefits that Apprenticeships bring, contact us on 024 76 231122 or email us enquiries@cwtcov.co.uk.