Eight recent graduates and three apprentice school leavers have become associates in wealth management and professional services firm Evelyn Partners’ fast-growing assurance and business services (ABS) team in Bristol.
The 11-strong cohort will now take part in a training programme to become Chartered Accountants. 
Staffing levels in the team have grown by 40% over the past two years – despite ongoing recruitment challenges in the sector.
Evelyn Partners, which was created in June from the merger of Tilney and Smith & Williamson, recently took on 20 more people across all levels following the appointment of new audit partner Mark Bishop, lifting the team’s total staffing to around 70.
It has now risen to 82 with the latest arrivals.
Partner and head of ABS at Evelyn Partners in Bristol, Kelly Jones, said: “The current labour market is very tight and many audit teams are under-resourced, but nonetheless we are growing.
“Our new group of graduates and apprentices means that headcount in ABS has risen from 50 to 82 in around two years.
“I believe a key factor behind this is that we can offer a better working culture than many of our competitors, ensuring a high level of staff retention as well as attracting new talent to service our growing client base.”
Pictured: Head of ABS Kelly Jones, front row, left, with group manager Sarah Fox, front row, right, with the new graduates and apprentices at Evelyn Partners in Bristol
