The Newbury office of UK top 10 accountancy firm Azets is marking National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) by highlighting the achievable career pathway from school leaver to senior manager.
Taking place from February 10-16, the week-long NAW celebration shines a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
For Dylan Brownlie, assistant manager for Azets in Newbury, it is a chance to reflect on his progress through the company which he joined in 2016 straight from the sixth form. He said:
“As I was finishing school, I wanted to follow a career where I could apply my strengths in problem solving. Facts and figures enticed me, and accountancy felt like the perfect fit. Discovering the apprenticeship route made it the ideal choice for me."
“While some of my friends were heading off to university, the opportunity to learn and earn was far more appealing to me. It allowed me to gain some real-world experience and start building my career early.”
Dylan began as an associate junior, supporting senior colleagues, working through different roles and taking on more responsibility while studying for his ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualifications which he passed in 2023.
He now combines his key tasks of managing a portfolio of more than 75 SMEs, limited companies, sole traders and partnership clients with passing on his knowledge to Azets’ future managers.
He added: “I help to oversee our junior associates, assigning them work and supporting their development. This includes managing their structured off-the-job training schedules for their own apprenticeships and organising workshops to further enhance their skills.”
“I learned a great deal from the partners and mentors I have worked with, and it is now my role to support the next generation. Outside that, I enjoy the client-facing side of my job, from meeting people to understanding the unique challenges of different business and finding ways of adding value wherever I can.”
Dylan, 27, started his accountancy career in Theale with Griffins, moving to Newbury when the firm merged with Wilkins Kennedy in 2017. It became Azets in 2020.
Also at Azets in Newbury is Lyndsey Camilleri, promoted to partner last year, who began her career as an apprentice in 2008.
Two new apprentices were taken on by Azets in Newbury in 2024 – tax associate Ellie Warwick and ABAS associate Kristina Pallaiova.
Neil Elsden, office managing partner for Azets in Newbury, said:
“Investment in the next generation of accomplished business advisors is a key strategy for Azets as we seek to grow and retain our own talent."
“We are firm believers in the benefit of apprenticeships, and it is particularly heartening to witness the progress made by the likes of Dylan to a position where he now helps to train our latest crop apprentices such as Ellie and Kristina.”
NAW 2025 encourages everyone to consider and celebrate how apprenticeships and skills help individuals develop rewarding careers, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.
The 18th annual celebration of apprenticeships and skills aims to inspire the nation with engaging stories of apprentice and learner progression – sharing their increased confidence, skills, knowledge and how such programmes have kick-started incredible careers.
Latest available Government statistics show that in the 2023/24 academic year, there were 736,530 people participating in an apprenticeship in England, with 339,580 apprenticeship starts and 178,220 apprenticeship achievements.
Azets is based in the centre of Newbury at Elizabeth House on London Road, conveniently placed just off the A4 and a 15-minute walk from Newbury train station. The team operate from a modern, open plan office with plenty of parking and provides a range of services tailored to businesses of all scales, encompassing sole traders to limited companies.
