Apprentice relat Review

Contacting our Premier customers on an outbound basis using our dialler software. asking open questions finding out their wants & needs by providing solutions for these. Also using other communication methods like email and messenger type services to contact customers and colleagues alike to provide the best possible service to our Premier customers

Before I started working here my financial knowledge was quite low. I have gained good knowledge and experiences of financial services from unsecured lending to mortgages. Also as part of my apprenticeship I have gained my certificate in Retail Banking Conduct of Business (CertRBCB) as well as upskilling my English & Maths at functional skills level 2.

I have enjoyed gaining valuable skills & knowledge regarding financial services and the industry itself as well as gaining recognisable qualifications in this industry also. I also particularly like how much focus is on mental health here, with lots of resources and workshops dedicated to raising awareness and support contacts for these matters.

Before I started the apprenticeship programme there was a change in the resources and the systems we would be using. This meant that we were part of the first group to do this course with these new systems, meaning that sometimes we weren't sure what was to be expected and help was limited, but by sharing best practice this was made easier by working together with other apprentices.

During the course we are allocated study time and this was scheduled into our working shift patterns. Before all apprentices were moved into the same team, this was scheduled differently according to working patterns and what impact this had on the business needs. during this course I have been flexible enough with study times, utilising it to the best of my abilities, making the most of time allocated.

In the run up to taken my exam for my certificate in Retail Banking Conduct of Business (CertRBCB) I was regularly tested using similar questions that we would receive at the exam. Also using one of our resources, Tessello, this would regularly test us on certain modules with questions based on the RBCB.

After studying more specific areas of the financial industry, this gave me more knowledge to discuss with customers as well as confidence in talking about certain areas of the financial industry. Also by studying the RBCB, this gave me more knowledge of the regulations in the financial industry, making me aware of this too.

When the weathers good (rarely in Glasgow) there is usually 5 a side football games organised by members of staff. Other than that there is usually night outs or dinners/lunches organised for special occasions like birthdays or business events e.g 1 year anniversary. Barclays also likes to give back to the community, which I have participated in recently by helping out at places like Dogstrust.

Yes

For me, Barclays has been a good place to work, it has been a place to earn a salary while working towards recognised qualifications. Also Barclays is going through an expansion here in Glasgow, with more doors opening in terms of opportunities Barclays has a big future here in Glasgow.

Be yourself. Barclays provides lots of training and resources available, so even with minimal or no financial experience, you could still be a good asset to the company. Be agile, and open to change and the apprenticeship as well as the training can be heavy at times, but worthwhile overall.