Legal firm doubles its support for Hand Picked jobs programme

Dunfermline and Kinross based legal firm, Morgans Solicitors, is actively helping young people kick start their working lives, by partnering with Hand Picked from CR Smith for a second consecutive year.

Offering two young people a three-month paid work placement under the Hand Picked jobs programme, Morgans is helping the teenagers learn about the world of work, add to their CVs and grow in confidence from the experience.

Lauren Strachan (17) and Blair Kerr (18) are taking on office and administration roles, supporting over 50 members of the Morgans’ legal team, both in person and virtually. They follow in the footsteps of Robbie Crawford, who joined the firm in 2019 through the Hand Picked Programme before securing a permanent position with the firm.

Caroline Potter, practice manager at Morgans Solicitors said:

“We have a strong people ethic at the firm and want to do what we can to support young people into the workplace. Working with Hand Picked, the young people are continuously coached, and it has been a great success. Our first Hand Picked recruit was given a permanent job and has just been promoted.

“We have found that going through Hand Picked, we can open up the legal profession to many more school and college leavers who might not have seen this as a first career choice.”

Pauline McGeevor, project manager for Hand Picked from CR Smith added:

“Having applied to Hand Picked before she left school, Lauren secured her placement with Morgans in October. She was ready to take her first steps into the world of work and we’re delighted we were able to help her.

“Blair left college after completing an NC in Business and Administration and like so many young people, despite applying for lots of jobs, interviews were few and far between. When he got in touch with us, we saw his potential right away and we were able to support him with constructive interview practice which helped him land the placement with Morgans.

“With the right support, both Lauren and Blair are now in jobs.”

She added: “Over recent weeks, it has been extremely encouraging to see a number of local businesses willing to provide paid work experience for young people through Hand Picked. My thanks to Morgans Solicitors and Building Blocks Nursery, who are the latest to take someone on. Helping young people find employment is imperative right now, and it is important that we show young people our support.”

Hand Picked from CR Smith runs a number of employability initiatives, including its job sponsorship programme of paid work placements, Hand Picked for Schools with DYW Fife, the Hand Picked Academy and the Employability Hub at Lochgelly High School. CR Smith is also involved in ‘Career Ready’ programme in Fife.

Any business wishing to join the Hand Picked from CR Smith network, should contact [email protected]