Barclays Higher Apprentice Review

my role is working in a barclays branch as a customer manager. i spend my time with the moment bankers in the branch supporting and coahcing them to develop their ability. I am working with customers face to face everyday and supporting them with what they need to do with their banking.

I have developed my leadership and management traits massively since starting the course. I have built a high level of self confidence and feel very comfortable with any challenges i am given during my working day. My method of communication has improved highly and am competent to manage people by coaching and mentoring.

I enjoy the programme a lot as i feel this has been beneficial in growing my confidence and knowledge of business. I have been able to move into different roles and gain high work experience for my age. A|so been given the opportunity to still study is amazing, and am enjoying the degree side of the course.

My programme had a slow start in the branch, changing roles was slightly delayed in the first year due to a lack of staff. However, with different management this has changed and i have smoothly transitioned into a leadership role. The degree side of the course is very well organised and the structure of completing assignments is easy to follow.

My employer have been supportive in giving me the chance to switch roles and learn new skills. When i have needed any support or have found a task to be difficult i have always been provided some guidance. Barclays give a clear structure and expectations they expect from me. The company always employ supportive colleagues who benefit the team.

This support is very good as we spend many weeks with our tutors and lecturers. If we have any questions we can always email our providers and they are reliable helping us with queries. Also regular 121 catch ups are organised to track my progress, which i find very useful

Learning different theory and concepts around business and leadership is very useful as this information can be applied to my role as a leader. I feel the university is beneficial as it educates and upskills my abiities in the role, and gives me more confidecne when i am supporting other colleagues with their work.

In my previous branch social events were quite rare, this was mainly christmas events or leaving events. In my new branch i am still new and getting to knwo the colleagues in the branch, but i would be interested to see whether there any social events that are organised together.

Yes

Barclays are a very good company to work for as they provide a lot of opportunity and different channels to explore. Barclays are very suportive with their colleagues and have allowed me to be flexible with work. The company have great values and show this through the work shown by employees and leaders

Make sure you are applying for a role that suits your style and working habits. However, they offer a lot of different positions so potentially it's worth exploring what they offer and seeing if a change in role could be benficial for persoanl development. They have some great connections and offer a range of different career paths.