Starting a professional career can feel like standing outside a locked door.

PEM accountancy group (the largest independent accountancy practice in Cambridge) has just opened one: the business has welcomed 20 new accountancy trainees, according to an announcement carried by Cambridge Network.

That is a sizeable new intake for anyone in Cambridgeshire wondering what comes after school, college or university.

It also gives families something more practical than another vague promise that young people should “get experience”.

Twenty people are now beginning their working lives with a named local employer.

The announcement’s message is simple.

Professional careers do not all begin with a perfect CV, years of contacts or a job title that already sounds impressive.

They can begin with a trainee place and the chance to learn while starting out.

For a school-leaver, that can make the next step feel less like a guessing game.

For a graduate, it is a reminder that the first job does not have to be the finished version of a career.

And for parents, it is a reason to look beyond the familiar list of university courses and big national employers.

There is a wider point here for Cambridgeshire.

The county is often talked about through its technology, science and business success stories.

Those headlines can make professional work seem reserved for people who already know exactly where they are going.

A trainee intake tells a different story: employers also need to bring people in at the beginning and help them build from there.

PEM’s 20 new starters are not evidence that every local young person now has an easy route into work.

They are one visible example of a business choosing to bring a group in at the start of their careers.

The next thing to watch is what those routes look like in practice and when future applicants can apply.

If someone in your household is looking for a first professional role, this is the detail to keep an eye on: not just the job title, but who is willing to train people before they have everything figured out.

Cambridge Network’s announcement puts PEM on that local list.

Do you know another Cambridgeshire employer bringing in trainees or entry-level starters?

Tell Cambridgeshire Spotlight about the business and the route, and we can build a clearer local picture.