The new recruits range in age from 18 to 33, and include career-changers, as well as school leavers from Grove and Morgan Academies in Dundee, Craigmount in Edinburgh and Dunbar Grammar school, and graduates from universities including Dundee, Heriot Watt, Edinburgh, Abertay and St Andrew’s.

The intake has swelled Henderson Loggie’s audit team by 10 and has added three trainees to its tax department, and the same number to the accounting business solutions team. A trainee payroll administrator has also joined the firm, switching career after more than 10 years in retail.

HR director, Fiona Doctor, said: “We are committed to leaving a legacy in our communities and there is no better way to do that than by widening access to quality training and new career paths for the next generation.

“We are building good relationships with local schools in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen which has resulted in making a number of direct entry offers this year allowing school leavers to earn while they learn and to qualify as Chartered Accountants after five years.

“As Henderson Loggie continues with its expansion plans, so the training and job opportunities we create will grow.”

13 traineeships have been created in the firm’s Dundee office, six in Edinburgh and one AAT trainee in Aberdeen. Half of the cohort have begun training with the growing audit department.

Audit partner, Gavin Black, said: “This is the biggest ever intake we have had in the audit team, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It’s great to have the buzz of all our new starts in the office, especially after the last couple of years where our school leavers and graduates have faced many challenges in their learning environment, not to mention their social lives.

“We have renewed energy in the office, and I think we are in for exciting times in terms of business growth as our trainees build their careers with us with the support of their line managers and a great team.”

Henderson Loggie’s audit trainee programme is three years for graduate trainees, and five for school leavers to become fully qualified. The tax trainee programme is a structured framework which includes three years to qualify at ATT level (Association of Tax Technician), followed by a further two years to attain the CTA qualification (Chartered Tax Adviser). Modern apprentices qualify with an SVQ Level 6 in business administration after two years.