The EPP, originally the Employer Training Scheme, was developed by STEP’s Professional Development team over an 18‑month period and welcomed its first two EPs, Vistra Jersey and Nedgroup Trust (now part of the Suntera Group), in November 2014. The team was grateful for the support and dedication of two STEP members in particular: Simon Morgan TEP of Vistra Jersey and Rosemary Marr TEP, who led STEP’s Professional Development Committee at the time.

By April 2016, after an 18‑month trial period, the EPP team was proud to be working with no fewer than 24 EPs, most of whom remain involved with the programme. Saffery Champness was one of the first EPs to become accredited. Lisa Vizia TEP, Director of Guernsey and Cayman Islands at Saffery Champness, says: ‘The EPP encourages learning and knowledge sharing and, as a firm with a solid learning and development culture, we benefit from the resources available, which equip our people with the skills and knowledge they require to develop their careers. This, in turn, offers the best possible service to our clients.’

The EPP was officially launched on 16 April 2016 at an event in London, followed by a follow‑up launch event in Singapore in July of that year. Events followed for EPs in Guernsey and Jersey, hosted by EPs Vistra Jersey, HSBC Trustee and Carey Olsen. The Crown Dependencies remain a major hub for EPs today.

Early on, the team frequently visited EPs, attended STEP conferences around the world and ran a number of events, both London‑based and regional. We ran annual EPP forums in London between 2017 and 2019, kindly hosted by EPs BDO, Farrer & Co and RSM, and officially launched the EPP in the Caribbean in May 2018.