Skills for life: How apprentices are strengthening Heligan’s M&A team

As we celebrated National Apprenticeship Week 2026 last week, it’s a perfect moment to reflect on the impact our apprentices in our analyst team have made to Heligan Group.

This year’s theme, Skills for Life, highlights how apprenticeships equip people with capabilities that stay with them throughout their careers, while helping organisations like ours build the future‑ready skills we need for M&A.

Apprentices bring curiosity, fresh perspectives and a willingness to learn that challenges us to rethink old processes and strengthens our team from day one. In M&A, this can help generate alternative ways of identifying new buyer pools, innovative ways on how best to present complex data and a hunger for analytical thinking to help unlock the hidden value in an opportunity.

Since launching our apprenticeship scheme in 2024, we have welcomed two cohorts of analysts, with the third cohort to join us this September. Our analysts have changed the shape of the team and made a real difference to the way we approach deal origination and deal preparation. In return, they gain hands‑on experience and long-lasting skills that set them up for success, without the need to “serve their time” in audit first (!)  As they have developed their time here they have been able to take on increasingly complex work on live deals, freeing up our managers and directors to focus on providing the strategic advice. Heligan is also in the unique position to provide our apprentices with additional opportunities to support our Wealth Management, Strategic Insights and Investments teams, offering a border perspective that solely CF.

But the benefits go way beyond just extra capacity. Each intake elevates the whole team. In other corporate finance boutiques the teams can be quite flat and it is hard to progress compared to roles in large accountancy firms. Having more depth to our team creates opportunities for other colleagues to develop their careers both at Heligan and beyond. The opportunity to develop coaching, mentoring and leadership skills as well as the ability to delegate effectively strengthens collaboration, boosts morale, and reinforces a culture of learning.

This week is all about celebrating the positive impact apprentices have on businesses and the wider economy. We’re proud to support them, proud of the value they add, and proud to play a part in developing the next generation of corporate finance talent.