Operations Apprentice Review

I work within Retail Lending Services (RLS)-debts, loans and mortgages etc Throughout the day i will liase/interact with senior team members and stakeholders to plan and work through the days cases and reports . Each day is different and and overtime i have worked/exposed to a variety of processes and functions which help keep the day to day running of the bank . My Primary responsibilty is to achieve a 1 day SLA to ensure customers/clients expectations are met and to sustain the goals and kpi's of myself and the banks.

So far i have refined and developed existing skills such as: communication,presenting,leadership,independence and team working All of which have come in practical as they allow me to become more better at what i do and to help me do more within my Apprenticeship and day to day job.

So far i've enjoyed it and my expereince has been broad and interesting in terms of the Apprenticeship aspect. Whereas at times my daily routines can be repetitive and tedious. some days Good/some days Bad. Overall i have a more clearer understanding of what i want from the Programme and banking itself .

I do think the programme could definitely be more organized as from what I experience there is little to no communication between the training provider and Barclays which has led to delays, disruption and a lot of inconvenience. On the plus side I do like how they have a clear plan/pathway for each apprentice and with that it's a lot more easier to know what you want out of the programme

In terms of my day to day job I do receive a huge amount of support whether it be from my line manager, apprentice mentor or senior team members and it's re assuring to know there's always someone who can support me with the work I receive/do. On the contrary I do feel like in terms of my apprenticeship work there has been very little structure as I ever since I started the programme there has only been very few day releases to work on my Projects and Objectives, this is a key part of any apprenticeship as 25% off the job is required to meet these standards.

I do feel like I have a fair amount of support from my training provider, but since there is only 1 training coach per group it makes the support much more difficult to receive as the groups are quite large and when asking questions and sending emails the replies can be slow etc. However, in terms of achievement and success I do feel like the training provider has my best interests in place.

My qualification is a Level 4 Improvement Practitioner Six Sigma Lean- (HNC/Diploma Equivalent) which basically is the learning, understanding and applying of improvement within a business/workplace Through this qualification I can approach processes/areas of work quite differently to how I normally would which allows me to Identify areas of improvement when necessary. The qualification is very technical and data driven and sometimes can prove ineffective to the work that you're doing. In terms of approaching and seeking out a problem and looking for a solution its great .Opposingly it won't help in terms of morale, motivation or how experienced you are as an individual.

There is many activities to get involved such as yoga and football which is organised and held when possible. There are many social outings such as Parties, pub drinks and dinners which are held through out the year . This is a good way to bond with colleagues and to try something different.

Yes

With an organization like Barclays there a many areas of work you can join into and develop in and this help can better you both as an individual and professionally . There are many ways to join Barclays such as: Entry Level Jobs, interns, work experience, graduates and apprentices. So there is something for everyone depending on what you want to do.

Do the best to prepare for you're role such as researching and studying about the Bank (especially the 5 core values) and area of work you want to join in. Just be yourself (don't fake it till you make it approach),be honest and do the best you can to stand out from the crowd . Whether your unsuccessful or not in getting a position , take your experience and use it to better yourself and take any advice given as a way forward whether that be in Barclays or anywhere else.