Why Employers Are Choosing CILEX Qualifications

CILEX Qualifications can help you and your organisation develop a stronger, more capable and future-ready legal workforce, particularly as the wider training landscape continues to shift.

The CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ), CILEX Graduate Qualification (CGQ) and the CILEX Level 6 Apprenticeship offer structured, work-integrated pathways that produce confident, competent and practice-ready legal professionals. These routes combine academic learning with real-world legal practice, ensuring that learners develop the technical knowledge, practical experience and specialist skills needed to succeed in the workplace from day one.

The Benefits for Employers

• Stronger performance, with CPQ and CGQ learners achieving more than double the pass rate of SQE candidates.

• Specialist, work-ready talent trained directly in areas such as litigation, conveyancing, private client, family and more.

• Reliable progression with lower training risk and fewer resit-related delays or costs.

These routes give firms access to professionals who can generate value earlier and contribute meaningfully throughout their training.

CPQ and CGQ vs the SQE Route

Employees and employers have highlighted concerns about preparation demands, the impact of low SQE1 success rates, assessment breadth and overall learner experience.

In contrast, CPQ and CGQ deliver:

• Significantly higher completion and pass outcomes

• Clear, structured stages with predictable progression

• Practice-ready specialists, not generalists still needing post-qualification training

This means reduced risk for firms and a better return on training investment.

Solicitor Apprenticeship Changes vs CILEX Level 6 Stability

With the Solicitor Apprenticeship undergoing major change, employers are facing:

• Longer and more uncertain completion timelines

• Increased supervision and assessment pressure

• Delays in achieving qualified status

Meanwhile, the CILEX Level 6 Apprenticeship provides:

• Certainty in delivery and assessment

• Practice Rights on completion

• Direct workplace relevance from day one

• A clear, efficient route to becoming a specialist lawyer

For firms wanting predictable, reliable progression, this stability is invaluable.

A Stronger, More Reliable Workforce Pipeline

By adopting CPQ, CGQ or the CILEX Level 6 Apprenticeship, employers gain:

• Qualified, practice-ready specialist lawyers

• Higher success rates and reduced training risk

• A more skilled, confident and independent workforce

• Stronger retention through structured career pathways

These routes provide a dependable, high-performing alternative during a period of significant change in legal training.

Ready to strengthen your talent strategy?

Please let us know if you would like to discuss how these pathways can support your talent strategy or if you’d like information tailored to your organisation.

Get in touch.