Apprentice Portfolio Manager Review

I am an apprentice portfolio manager working within the credit delivery team in commercial and private banking. I am required to support the relationship managers in their contact with our customers. I interact with a wide range of group employees and am responsible in writing annual reviews for customers and creating new facility documentation. On a daily basis I work with the RM's in producing any new documents and renewal of documents for a large range of customers.

I have gained a professional bankers certificate which has granted me the membership of the Chartered Bankers Institute. I am also exposed to a large range of internal training programmes to develop my knowledge and skill of banking software. I have learnt a huge amount on the world of corporate and commercial banking and the principles behind the credit side of lending and borrowing. I have developed my communication and organisational skills within the apprenticeship.

I really enjoy the programme and am really pleased with the way in which RBS supports the apprentices. I have been on a number of shadowing days- even up to Edinburgh! The bank want to look after us, which is a great feeling. I am much more involved than I thought I would be, and have responsibility I didn't think I would be given. It has been thoroughly enjoyable.

I do feel very valued within the bank- they support us through every aspect of daily life. My manager has given me a good breadth of work to cover a number of various cases which is great! I am heavily involved with the tasks in my team and am slowly getting to more complex deals and report writing tasks. I haven't received a large amount of external recognition- however that's because there aren't any external events for apprentices.

The programme is very well organised/structured the induction days were good, we have received a good amount of training and support especially when dealing with the PBC exam. We had been given sufficient time off to study for the exam. I have received a good amount of work and the delegation is fair and just. I do feel some more apprentice events would be good- as I haven't heard of any!

I receive a good amount of support from the training provider. My assessor is great and is always there when I need to chat about any problems. The accessibility to this is good- and we have a monthly catch up call which helps with development and progression on the programme. It has been fun to meet such a wide range of people and roles.

I have received a great deal of support from the bank. My manager is great at helping me as well as other members of my team. The accessibility to support is available through our intranet page which is easy to navigate. There is always support here and there is a desire for you to succeed in the role. I have enjoyed working in my team and have learnt a huge amount.

It is very good for an Apprentice grade, due to my proximity to the office I don't have a large amount of travel costs. It is great to be earning and the location is ideal for me for the year to save. I am hoping to be in London next year so hopefully will find a role that will support the costs of this. The pay though is fair at the level I am at and there are many company benefits available too!

I haven't received a large number of event invites, however there are a few external events. We are however supported and encourage a good deal to attend CSR days- I have been on a number of these such as career event days for schools, or working at a homeless shelter. Due to my location there aren't any leisure of sport clubs, however hopefully once I am in London I will join a good number of these. When I am not working I see my mates, however most are in London, so once I find a role there it will be easier to socialise more.

Yes

They really support us and look after us well, there is a good amount of progression and development invested into their employees. I have really seen the focus on us more and it is nice knowing we are valued. It is also such a great group to work for as there are so many doors available that we can go through, due to the number of brands under the umbrella.

Be confident, and practice practice practice. Know the bank and what it stands for, the assessment stages such as on the phone and online tests are challenging so be prepared. The best tip is to be yourself and be confident that you have practiced enough for the stages. There is a great opportunity if you achieve the apprenticeship so work for it. I would have liked to be told more on events for apprentices as I haven't had any. But the onboarding process is how it should be and once you're cleared it is a matter of weeks until you start!