International conglomerate Tyco is taking on trainees for the first time in an effort to foster legal talent in its junior ranks.

The manufacturing giant is bolstering its ranks of lawyers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with the hire of 10 'legal specialists' who will work as paralegals while being groomed for positions as regional in-house lawyers at the company.

Under the scheme, Tyco will pay for its trainees to become fully-qualified lawyers.

Trevor Faure, Tyco EMEA general counsel, has pioneered the scheme as part of his wider overhaul of the company's legal function, which has seen more than 200 firms slashed from its adviser roster.

Faure told Legal Week: "This is an educational programme. We offer bespoke, paid-for legal education which runs parallel with on-the-job training. The key is that people recruited to the position of legal specialist should be able to graduate to senior regional counsel. They are a foundation resource of the department."

Faure introduced a similar scheme at Dell, which he left to join Tyco in 2004. He has already hired three specialists to Tyco's in-house team and another seven trainees will be taken on across Europe over the next year.

The practice of companies offering in-house legal training schemes remains relatively rare, although institutions such as BT, ITV, HSBC and Citibank have all taken similar steps.

The recruitment drive comes as Tyco nears the final stages of a massive restructuring which will see its four different business groups split into three separately trading entities.

Faure will remain at the helm of the fire, security and engineered products business but two new regional general counsel will be appointed to the electronics and healthcare businesses in due course.