School-leavers may be able to qualify on the job as solicitors in six years under new draft assessment plans drawn up by the steering committee behind the government-backed Trailblazer apprenticeship in law scheme.

Confirmation of the assessment plans brings the apprenticeship route to qualification a step closer to introduction, with the committee also deciding assessment criteria for the proposed chartered legal executive and paralegal apprenticeships. The legal executive apprenticeship would last five years and the paralegal option two. 

The plans have been devised with close involvement from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in order to ensure standards for all three apprenticeships mirror existing regulatory requirements.

Proposals will be submitted to the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) in February 2015, with the Trailblazer group hoping that the solicitor apprenticeship will launch in 2017 – a year after the paralegal and chartered legal executive options. 

In response to the on-going consultations a number of firms involved in the process are already reviewing their training structures, with some, such as Addleshaw Goddard, stating they plan to adopt the solicitor apprenticeships once approved. 

Training providers including BPP and the University of Law are also involved in the consultations, with the expectation that they will develop materials for the formal training aspects of the apprenticeships.

Employers will be able to choose which provider they want to work with and tailor the apprenticeship around their needs. 

"The trailblazer steering group is happy with the progress we have made to date and we feel we are on track to meet our next BIS deadline in February," said steering group chair and Addleshaws resourcing manager, Gun Judge. "We're grateful for the support we've had from the providers and employers. "

The assessment for the solicitor apprenticeship will consist of formative testing throughout the apprenticeship and a final summative assessment.

The two-part summative assessment will be completed in the final six months of the apprenticeship and evaluated by an independent body assigned by the SRA.

The first part will be a multiple choice test covering a wide range of areas including the legal system of England and Wales, contract law and professional conduct and regulation.

The second part of the assessment: objective structured practical legal exercises (OSPLE) will test a number of key competencies including interview and advising, advocacy, drafting and legal research.

The on the job assessments will be decided by each employer but will have to be based around key progression milestones identified by the steering group. 

Individuals may be able to bypass some areas of the formative assessment if they have previous experience or relevant qualifications.

The draft proposals recommend a wide band of entry requirements for the solicitor apprenticeship with five GCSEs and three A-Levels the suggested minimum, though each firm or in-house department will be able to set their own entry requirements. 

Funding for all three of the new apprenticeships is expected to work on a contribution system with both the employer and the government paying in. Government contributions will apply to apprentices who are aged 16-18 when they start their apprenticeship.

Exact costs of each of the apprenticeships will be decided by the employers and training providers. 

Salaries for apprenticeship will be at the discretion of employers but they must be paid at least minimum wage. 

A number of firms and in-house legal tearms sit on the steering committee for the Trailblazers in law scheme, which is part of a wider government led initiative to boost diversity in a number of professions.