Staff at the regional law firm Trethowans are providing mentoring support for two Bournemouth initiatives, charity the Samee Project and the Disabled Entrepreneurs Business Start-up Service (DEBASS).
The former includes the expanding Workshops Introducing Self-Employment (WISE), which offer a variety of careers-based support to local primary schools, secondary schools and colleges. These were set up as part of the Samee Project to educate young people about employability and entrepreneurship skills. The WISE team has created a truly interactive workshop introducing young people to the hospitality sector, based on the creation of a hotel and its integral departments.
Sam Everard, Samee CEO, explained: “We encourage volunteer mentors to join us from the local community and support WISE workshops. We would like to say a huge thank you to the Trethowans team. The work we do ensures all students are able to engage with us and access learning points and, by bringing in mentors, we offer real life examples of routes into different work sectors.”
DEBASS includes challenging ideas, giving young people start-up tips and highlighting entrepreneurial case studies along with the route taken to establishing a successful business. Managing Partner at Trethowans, Chris Whiteley, said: “By working with DEBASS we encourage discussion and confidence building – which help young people plan a route into career success. Mentoring fits, as we are keen to put something back into our local communities. Our staff have many skills, and that doesn’t solely apply to just the legal sphere.”
Now with five offices across the South – in Southampton, Winchester, Salisbury, Poole and Bournemouth – the firm supports or works with various local charities and organisations.
“As we service the wider Dorset region, we have a strong client base in and around Poole and Bournemouth. This enables us to suggest further connections who may be able to assist our chosen charities or initiatives which we hear about,” continued Chris.
Trethowans saw 22.6 per cent growth in 2017 and was named the fastest growing independent law firm in the UK with up to £24 million turnover (The Lawyer).