Data Analyst, Corporate Actions Review

My role at UBS is in Operations, specifically Corporate Actions. Corporate Actions look at Market events, such as Rights Distributions or Tender Offers. My daily tasks are based around capturing events, validating them agent against sources (such as the London Stock Exchange) and then processing them. The interactions I have on a daily basis are mainly internal to different UBS teams, but I do frequently query information with external sources when creating notifications of events to send to clients.

I am currently studying for my Investment Operations Certificate, and have already completed my first of three exams. My first exam helped me gain knowledge about Financial markets as a whole, with different chapters focusing on Regulations, Bonds, etc. I have also participated in internal training that has helped to develop skills such as personal productivity and to further my workplace knowledge. The majority of my learning that I have completed in my apprenticeship has been for my role. I have had to learn how to complete different daily tasks and also had to increase my knowledge of Corporate Actions and the differences between event types.

My role at UBS is very enjoyable. I am constantly busy with my workflow during the day and never find myself to be bored as I am always learning new things. I am very fortunate to be a part of a sociable and friendly team who are willing to help and support when needed. Alongside my team, everyone at the company is extremely welcoming making it very easy to settle in and find your feet as a School Leaver. All of these factors surpassed my expectations of how enjoyable it would be to work for such a large scale company.

Hard work is well recognised at UBS. If you are willing to dedicate time to working efficiently in tasks, team members will appreciate the effort you are making. Although it may be hard to show your value during the beginning of your career, as you are still learning completely new information, others will be understanding of your situation and appreciate the efforts you make to build relationships within your team and get to grips with your role as much as you can.

The UBS apprenticeship programme is extremely well structured. All study/training dates are planned well in advance to give you the upmost opportunity to attend. The training provided is specific to your role, giving you the maximum benefit when applying it to your daily tasks. The structure of the programme also offers a good balance between time spent at your desk working, compared to time spent away from it learning, preventing one from overpowering the other.

The training provider for my Investment Operations Certificate is Fitch Learning. During the first 6 months when studying for our first exam, we met with a representative of Fitch for 3 full working days. This offered a great opportunity to ask personal questions focused on the specific areas of the course we were struggling in as individuals. Fitch Learning also offers extremely helpful revision material. The online portal they have created includes virtual lectures of each course chapter, class notes and a large bank of questions to use as practice. When meeting with Fitch representatives they were also keen to give out their Mobile contact numbers/ Email addresses allowing a personal point of contact during the build up to exams. All of these factors giving you the maximum opportunity to successfully pass the course.

UBS are very supportive towards employees. I have frequent meetings with my Line Manager and Supervisor to escalate any concerns I have, and also to discuss my progression and future aspects. My team are also very understanding of me when revising for exams. They are always offering to cover my work if I require more study time or if i need to be away from my desk for training days. The HR team at UBS are quick to respond to any concerns you may have and are always keen to make you aware of them if you ever need guidance/ advice about the scheme as a whole.

The apprenticeship scheme at UBS offers a very competitive salary. This allows me to have a good social life whilst also helping to cover the necessities such as train travel. The package received as a UBS employee also offers a wide variety of other benefits such as Healthcare, use of the Gym and many other schemes you can decide to opt in for. During my time at the company I have also been able to save sufficient amounts of money each month that I feel will benefit me in the future.

There are many different opportunities to get involved in at the company. Volunteering is highly encouraged at UBS and offers a great way to give back to the community. These opportunities can be internal or external and range from full days to a couple of hours away from your desk at a time. There are also opportunities to join committees, participate in sporting events or generally socialise with your peers outside of working hours.

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Working at UBS offers a great balance of gaining externally recognised qualifications and experience of working at a well established Investment Bank. Everyone at the company is keen to help you succeed and become a valuable member of the team. Those who work for UBS have also been extremely welcoming and friendly when stepping into the new working environment for the first time. I have made some great friends at UBS who also make my role very enjoyable.

Being organised is key when applying for an apprenticeship at UBS. It is very important to stay on top of submission deadlines/ interview dates to prevent them from clashing with coursework deadlines and exams. The most important thing to get across in applications and interviews is to show that you are motivated, enthusiastic and hard working, and how much employing you would benefit the company. It is also essential to be friendly and personable to everyone that you meet during the process, as even the earliest of encounters may be crucially important in your future career.