BPP Law School is to take the unusual step of offering a free qualification worth up to £16,500 to any of its Legal Practice Course (LPC) graduates failing to secure a job in the legal sector within six months of graduating.

The offer – which will apply to any students starting the LPC from September 2013 – will see free qualifications available in a number of areas, including subjects outside the law.

These include major qualifications of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), as well as an MSc degree at BPP Business School or courses to become a chartered financial analyst or tax adviser. Graduates choosing to further their study of the law can take any of BPP's Masters of Law courses or the New York Bar course.

In order to qualify for the courses, graduates must be able to show evidence of having applied to a range of positions in employment "at a solicitors practice or another organisation where the function is a legal one".

BPP Law School said it had not put a cap on the budget for students meeting the criteria for the free qualifications. The offer will not extend to Bar Professional Training Course graduates in a similar position.

"We want to go a step further with the free qualification offer as a way of demonstrating our commitment to enhancing the CVs of all of our students," said Peter Crisp, the school's dean and chief executive.

"We are the market leader in terms of innovative legal training – it is no coincidence that over 25 of the leading law firms come exclusively to us for their legal training requirements."

According to research carried out by the school, 89% of the 2011-12 cohort gained training contracts or other legal work within three months of passing their LPC.

BPP is the largest full-time undergraduate law school in the UK, educating one third of those entering the English legal profession.

"It is good to see them thinking about the students, worried no doubt by continuing softness in the market," said Richard Moorhead, professor of law and professional ethics at UCL. "On the downside: the cost to them may be minimal. If their courses are generally running at less than 100% then marginal costs of students for a second time will be low. They'll also expect a reasonable percentage not to bother taking a further course."

John Flood, professor of law and sociology at the University of Westminster, added: "I'd question whether it is going to help someone without a job six months after graduation get a job in the future. More than half the qualifications are in a different field, and there's going to be no point in doing the New York Bar course, because if you don't have a US law qualification no-one is going to hire you."