Customer Manager Review

Role involves line managing a team of 8 moment bankers to support customers through servicing and providing products. It involves the training, support and upskilling to support customer needs fully and ensuring customers needs are explored to the full potential. It also involves helping that colleague to grow and help them to fulfil there ambition whether that is to be high performing in the role or to get to the next stage in their career. Finally it is to support the growth of the opportunities and explore the needs of the market.

I have learnt how to have difficult conversations with colleagues and customers, how to manage colleagues experiencing mental health issues and how to support their recovery and development. I have learnt how to analyse data and create techniques to improve performance and customer conversations. How to manage my time with having multiple tasks and dealing with unexpected tasks.

The programme that was described and explained at the start of the apprenticeship has not been accurate throughout. The programme has required myself to use the own initiative as the support from the team leading the programme has been minimal with lots of mixed messages. Whilst there has been lots of challanges, i have enjoyed the programme and enabled myself to grow.

The university programme is very well structured, enabling enough time for assignments to be completed whilst still having strict deadlines. Barclays allow one day to complete every two weeks but this isn't always allowed due to meeting business needs and having to cover staff on sickness or away from the business. This can create difficulties in planning and managing time to meet deadlines.

Within the branch network, most branch managers aren't aware of the programme and accept apprentices into the branch but don't understand or want to support the programme. The support from the early careers team is extremely minimal and when requesting support you are referred to your branch manager who doesn't understand the programme and then doesn't support the programme needs. Any queries throughout the programme haven't been answered or supported.

The support from Anglia Ruskin has been very good throughout the programme. I have regular catch ups with my tutor to support with my academic work and any emails or calls made to Anglia Ruskin are responded to very quickly and always with an answer or a form of support.

The assignments have very engaging and interesting topics which are relateable to the different areas of the business. Some topics are more valuable than others dependent on business role but the overall knoweldge gained supports in all roles within the business. The assignements move with the apprentice with the first year being topics that support you personally in growing and then the third year in a managerial role, the topics support the development of yourself and others.

Throughout my 3 years with the bank, there hasn't been any extra activities or events to attend. I have attended events that i have actively gone out to look for but only senior members attend events. Not extra curricular activities are provided and are often looked at as being not good for the business and leads to poor reputation.

Yes

The benefits of working to Barclays are very good with pension and sick pay etc. Barclays care for their employees is very high and they will support in recovery or treatment is very good. Dependent on area of the business, there are often chances for promotion or to move into different business area.

Put yourself first and be responsible for your own development. Be flexible where you work and where you are willing to work as you can be moved branch regularly. There are lots of different departments and areas, be open to exploring new areas of the business and learning new skills