PEGASUS ACCESS AND SUPPORT SCHEME ANNUAL REPORT 2018
Welcome In 2012 Inner Temple established the Pegasus Access and Support Scheme (PASS), with the intention of ensuring that all students with the capability and determination to pursue a career at the Bar have the opportunity to undertake mini-pupillages, regardless of their background or personal networks. In the last two years we have also offered participants a three day professional skills course, designed to enhance their application, interview and advocacy skills. The support from you, our partner chambers and volunteers, has been invaluable and we hope the information provided below demonstrates the impact that the scheme has had this year.
2017 2018
PASS ANNUAL REVIEW
Breaking records This year we received almost 200 applications for PASS and awarded places to 59 applicants, an increase on last year of 14. It was the highest number of applications for PASS we’ve ever received and the highest number of places we’ve ever offered to students. So far, 35 of the students have completed a mini-pupillage with one of you, our PASS partner chambers, and 53 attended the residential PASS skills course in June. The feedback we have received on the mini-pupillages undertaken so far has been excellent and demonstrates how critical this part of the scheme is in changing student perceptions for the better and affirming their aspirations. Lots of the participants have indicated that undertaking their minipupillage has removed any doubts they had about pursuing the career:
“They scheduled a lot for us to do and the timetable we got was great” “It was an amazing experience, and it really has made me believe that I can create a career for myself at the Bar.’” “PASS has enabled me to believe in myself a lot more”
“It has demonstrated the Bar is a meritocratic profession, and those who work hard reap the rewards” “I’ve come away with offers of help and to keep in touch which is more than I expected!”
“They clearly put a lot of effort into introducing us to a wide variety of people every evening after court” “I thoroughly enjoyed my time, and will have fond memories of my placement”
Skills Development This year the PASS residential skills course began with the Inn’s annual Question and Answer Day, which gave the students the opportunity to attend several panel sessions with practising barristers, pupils and current BPTC students and ask them questions about their journeys to the Bar. The panellists provided helpful tips on applications and interviews as well as honest advice about obstacles an aspirant barrister can expect to face. On the second day of the course, the participants experienced mock pupillage interviews with members of the Inner Temple who then provided them with feedback on their interview technique and support to help them in real interviews, as well as feedback on their CVs following a session on writing a good CV earlier in the day. Participants said: “The interviews were the most helpful part – it was really great to have one-on-one time with a barrister” “The feedback was invaluable and it has given me so much more confidence going forward” “It has given me more confidence to apply for scholarships and pupillage” After their mock interviews, the students took part in a session on effective networking and making a good first impression, which was delivered by Debrett’s. The last day of the skills course began with a talk on ethics at the Bar, a topic which for many participants was brand new. This was
followed by a comprehensive session on wellbeing and resilience, run by one of the Inn’s Academic Fellows. After that the students enjoyed advocacy classes on different areas of the law in small groups, with each of them having the opportunity to try out some advocacy; for many of them their first experience of it. They received feedback and tips from practitioners as well as their expert advice. These advocacy sessions were especially well-received, with the students saying: “The advocacy session was for me the highlight. I’d never done one before and I have learnt so much from the feedback I received” “You have made my year with the advocacy course!” “The advocacy session was the most helpful. Before, I was extremely worried and contemplating whether to enter the Bar due to confidence in public speaking, but this experience really built my confidence” The residential skills course ended with a joint reception with Middle Temple and COMBAR, to celebrate the students’ achievements over the last three days. The feedback we received from the students was overwhelmingly positive. 100% of them stated that participating in the course had raised their career aspiration and had also given them good insight into the profession. Many of them singled out the advocacy and mock interview exercises as being particularly useful as those sessions gave them some practical experience that they had previously not had, and feedback they could act on.
Impact Thanks to your support, the Inner Temple has been ranked 24th in 2018 Social Mobility Employer Index – up eleven places compared to 2017. This is out of the Top 50 UK employers who have taken the most action on social mobility in the workplace. The Index is the creation of the Social Mobility Foundation and is published in partnership with sponsors The City of London Corporation. It ranks the UK’s employers on the actions they are taking to ensure they are open to accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds. This year the index found that having a workforce that is diverse in terms of social background is fast becoming as important to employers as being diverse in terms of gender and race. Entrants included banks, law firms, Government departments, engineering firms, retail firms and technology companies. The official report on the Inner Temple submission commented that the: “The PASS scheme is well-targeted and evaluated, and we were particularly impressed with the new eligibility criteria and application process for the scheme.”
Case Study We asked Connor Evans, who participated in PASS 2016/17, to write about his experience of the scheme and how it supported him. We were delighted to learn that since writing the below, Connor has secured pupillage at Iscoed Chambers. ‘I first became involved with Inner Temple through the Pegasus Access and Support Scheme. I instantly felt welcomed and supported by what would go on to become my professional home in London. A continuing concern for the profession as a whole is diversity and outreach. However, Inner Temple takes this in its stride, offering one of the most established outreach programs of all the Inns. One of the major reasons I chose to apply for PASS and subsequently become a member of Inner Temple was because of the enthusiasm and effort the Inn puts into its outreach program. If the Bar still has deficiencies in diversity, Inner Temple certainly goes out of its way to address these. During PASS, I was part of the first cohort to be involved in the skills course. The Outreach team organised a program of events over 3 days. It was the perfect welcome to the Inn and the journey to the profession. The first day covered sessions on how to apply for scholarships, interview tips and an introduction to networking. These were all incredibly insightful. The second day concentrated on well-being in the profession and a mock interview, where we were interviewed by a practising barrister and then given feedback. Finally, we were given an advocacy task where we were provided with an opportunity to practise examination-in-chief and cross examination. The feedback given during these sessions was incredibility supportive and helpful. The final part of PASS placed me in a mini pupillage with Landmark
Chambers, a specialist public, planning and environmental set. The Inn covered the expenses for the mini-pupillage. Without the Inns support I would not have been able to undertake this minipupillage. The Outreach support by the Inn reassured me that I would be proud to be a member of Inner Temple. PASS was incredibly helpful in gaining insight at life at the Bar and a perfect opportunity to make many new connections from students to barristers and members of staff within Inner Temple. Through PASS I manage to gain a contact that offered me guidance and later offered me another mini-pupillage. As someone who came to the profession with no links or contacts, I was so grateful to Inner for having provided the opportunity to make my first professional contact on PASS. I applied for a scholarship in my final year of undergraduate study. I knew that unless I obtained a scholarship I would struggle to fund the BPTC. Fortunately, I managed to obtain a Major Scholarship for my 2017/2018 BPTC year. Although the financial aspect of the scholarship allowed me to pursue a career at the bar, the vote of confidence that comes with being granted a major scholarship is immense. I had the support of the Inn who, through their scholarship, had said that I had the necessary qualities and deserved the opportunity to pursue a career as a barrister.’
Thank You We were delighted with the success of PASS this year and particularly the positive feedback on the skills course, which continues to evolve, and our new position in the Social Mobility Employer Index. The support from those of you who offered minipupillages to the PASS students has been integral to its success, as has the involvement of all of the members who volunteered their time throughout the skills course. Our hopes for PASS next year are that we are able to offer more skills days in order to enable all successful applicants to attend them, and that the number of mini-pupillages offered by partner chambers increases so that more students can be admitted on to the scheme.
Daisy Mortimer & Struan Campbell Outreach Coordinator & Outreach Manager Inner Temple
“The bar has been shown in a much more diverse and positive light. It has been shown it is attainable to people like me” “…the exposure to the profession has been so overwhelmingly positive that if anything I am even more focused on the Bar”
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