Relationship Management Apprentice Review

- customer service- answering phones and queries - conducting services calls- going over banking records making sure everything is up to date, covering other topics such as bankline, mandates and contact details to ensure everything is accurate. - Assisting with other assistants and RM's- with general admin tasks including chasing accounts, liaising with other internal teams, creating leads and opportunities - Marketing and business development work- looking for eligibility and new business, promoting positive work done and looking for new 'ways in' for example

Developed the following skills: - Responsibility - Confidence and professionalism - Time management - Knowledge and awareness of banking systems and process - Customer service- telephone based - Problem solving - Taking imitative - Quick thinking and responsiveness

I have loved the programme and loved all the new skills that I have learnt as a result- many of which are transferable skills that i can take to any other job whether this be internal or external. My expectations were very different however- although I have had some face to face customer experience and had the opportunity to go out on customer meetings and have a hands on involvement, I feel there was less opportunity for this and I really had to push for this throughout the scheme. I feel the work culture within the office i worked in was great and i worked as part of a really good team. However, i was the youngest member of staff by roughly 20 years therefore the social aspect of work slightly lacked and there was little opportunity to get involved in anything outside of work. Despite there being a few events throughout the year for apprentices which I attended, it was very irregular and i did feel slightly left out from this being in the office i was in.

The structure was good with regards to the course- I.e. the due dates of assessments and the scheduled calls with my BPP tutor and assessors however i feel like the job element of the role slightly lacked with regards to structure. It was very much left up to my own discretion- which on one hand is great, i would have preferred if there were set dates in the diary to job shadow specific sections of the business or perhaps set shadowing in different areas of the bank.

Very supportive- there was a vast amount of support available from my team, my manager and my mentor who would all look out for me and assist in whatever way they could. I had regular catch ups with my manager and my mentor therefore gave the opportunity to discuss any problems I may have been having and as this was mostly scheduled- i never had to reach out for support.

Despite not always being to provide the answers/have the best knowledge with the queries i had- they were always on hand for support and there if needed. One thing i would say which i know cant really be helped- but my tutor changed twice since the start of my programme so there was some time taken there to adapt but it seemed as if this was a problem for other apprentices too.

I think it made me a lot more aware of different processes, behaviours and my approach to work that i was doing- as well as keeping my knowledge of banking systems and values up to date. Overall it did help and I found a lot of the activities related to the work being done in my working role- as well as giving me the opportunity to practice this.

There was some local networking opportunities- most of which were actually set up by myself and another member of the bank, however i think this may have been more of a local issue with being in chester and therefore not on the scale of bigger city locations. There were other events in manchester more internally to get involved in however as stated before- i feel these opportunities didnt come around as often as desired.

Yes

Overall a really great programme for experience and growth in whatever career you decided to go into next- whether internally or externally to the bank. As well as being a great opportunity to build you personal brand, build up a strong portfolio of connections and really make your mark.

I would have a hard think before going into this programme that it is something that you really want to do, as it is hard work and you do have to do work external to your day to day role. Also i would suggest starting an apprenticeship or getting a training role within a bigger office with perhaps a bigger and more diverse team as there is more social and networking opportunities.