City firm adopts BPP training plan - graduate jobs

City company Simmons & Simmons is to place 25 future trainees on its one-year full-time MBA programme with BPP Business School in September with a view to developing commercial business-aware young lawyers.

All potential recruits must specify whether or not they want to take up the course, aimed at being a permanent scheme for graduate recruitment, before starting training contracts.

The scheme was first launched a year ago in the market downturn when 27 trainees were due to start in September 2009 and March 2010. However, they deferred their start date to go on the course from September. The group graduates this summer and starts training with Simmons in September.

The move represents a large investment for the firm, said graduate recruitment partner Alex Brown. He added that the aim is to develop lawyers with enhanced skills and knowledge of core industry sectors who can add value more quickly in working with clients.

Simmons graduate recruitment partner Alex Brown said: "The MBA programme is not an exercise in cost-saving for us."

The company said the 25 students joining this September's course chose to take it before starting training contracts and were not asked to defer for cost-cutting reasons.