Operational Risk Analyst Apprentice Review

I am an operational risk analyst apprentice. My daily tasks consist of updating the incident log and inbox. Collecting data, analysing data and producing reports. I also do various ad-hoc tasks such as organise meetings. I spend a lot of time working on my apprenticeship, either by directly revising or logging my training, or by attending training sessions which benefits my job also e.g. introduction to fund management. I interact with people from all across the business daily, mainly through email.

I have developed alot of my core skills that I already posessed by have now mproved upon e.g. communication, time-management. I have also been attending alot of training sessions / talks which my team support, e.g. talks on investments and funds. I am also taking part in excel and other technology training. As part of my apprenticeship I also complete 2 exams- Risk in financial services and UK Regulations.

My programme is very enjoyable. It is perfect for those who have just finished school and want to have a balance between still learning and sitting exams whilst learning on the job.

I feel very valued by my company. They are extremely supportive e.g. they are currently running a flexible workin pilot which I am part of, which means I have been given a surface pro and I am encouraged to work from home, my desk or any other sensible location. They also support me with my studies and encourage me to go on as much training as I can with my spare time during working hours.

My programme is structured yet flexible. During my apprenticeship I will complete 2 exams, of which I can book to sit whenever I think is best. My course is 12-18 months so it is slightly felxible within this time frame. Howvever I am aware of what targets I need to achieve and what the requirements are as well as what I need to produce evidence for. I have monthly meetings with my apprenticeship adviser as well as constant communication with her and various study guides / tools.

I have a good amount of support from my apprenticeship provider. I have montlhy meetings with her, revision guides and her email address.

Alot of support. They give me alot of time to study for my exam, and are always encouraging me to go on training sessions / talks to help me with me apprenticeship and my job. I have weekly meetings with my manager, my assigned 'buddy' and fortnightly team meetings. I also have meetings every few weeks with HR.

More than enough. I am on a lot higher wage than most of my other friends doing apprenticeships.

Yes we have lots of social events and activities. I am in charge or organising alot of these events which i volunteered myself for and is something really good to get involved with. I have recently just participated in a whole off site team training day in lovely training rooms with free food and drinks. I also recieve alot of invitations to training days through investment 20/20 or my HR department which are extremely useful.

Yes

M&G is an amazing company with lots of opportunities. The average tenure here is 12+ years as they are very supportive of internal movement within the company throughout different departments or teams. They provide alot of resources, training and support.

Do as much research you can into M&G, (note we are moving building and merging with another company soon). Come to our insight days. See if you can get work experience. Don't look at the interview questions on glass door as they will know you are cheating straight away! Keep checking our website regularly as new opportunities are always arising. They tend to take on a large group of apprentices around September time however I started in December and others pop up all throughout the year. Interviewers are really looking for your personality traits, how you think and how well they think you would intergrate into the company, so don't worry if you don't know alot about the subject area (I knew little about mine), just learn the basics and prep well for the interview.