The BBC is set to hire three legal services apprentices, who will join the broadcaster's in-house team in London.

The apprenticeship aims to cover employment and commercial aspects of the BBC's work, with the broadcaster considering any school leavers who can start in September 2014.

The successful candidates will attend a two-year apprenticeship, which will include units from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executive (CILEx) level three Advanced Apprenticeship course involving employment law and practice as well as workplace skills.

CILEx Law School will teach the apprentices while recruitment and training service Vision Apprentices will oversee the hires. The apprentices will also gain experience by working with the BBC's rights and business affairs team in order to learn about the BBC group's commercial and corporate interests.

BBC group general counsel Sarah Jones said: "The apprentices will work under the supervision of qualified personnel in the employment and commercial teams to begin with and we expect them to start making a real contribution to the department's work as they progress through their two year apprenticeships."

The news comes as several law firms are kicking off schemes to improve legal career opportunities for school leavers without a degree.

Last October Field Fisher Waterhouse took on the first five recruits for its school leavers' initiative, which launched last May in conjunction with CILEx Law School. Shoosmiths and Kennedys has also begun offering apprenticeship schemes for students in recent months.