Universal Banker Review

My role is a branch based role helping customers with their banking queries. This includes quick queries such as everyday bill payments, cheque deposits and detail updates. I also help customers achieve longer term financial goals by helping them open current and savings accounts as well as lending facilities such credit cards and personal loans.

By completing the apprenticeship I have gained industry knowledge which has allowed me answer customer questions more confidently. On top of that, I have improved my written and verbal communication skills through a range of tasks and assignments that had to be completed throughout the apprenticeship. As part of the apprenticeship I was also able to complete the Level 3 Certificate in Retail Banking Conduct of Business.

I enjoyed the networking aspect and working with other colleagues from other branches. I experienced five different talent coaches throughout the apprenticeship which is what hindered my overall experience of the apprenticeship. For the majority, the talent coaches were great and very helpful. However, I also had two talent coaches who were not so helpful and left me in the dark a little bit without any help or instructions for next steps.

The programme was structured well overall. There was an induction meeting at the start where your talent coach explains the timeline of the programme and completed all the paperwork. There were regular scheduled meetings with your talent coach where you would have study sessions and general progress reviews. The programme also had an online portal where the talent coach would set tasks for completion. When you are ready and have learnt the knowledge material, you would take your exam and then after that you would start building your portfolio ready for your final professional discussion with an examiner.

My employer game me the mandatory 20 hours per week on the job training to complete any apprenticeship work during work hours. I was also provided with a study day the day before my exam so that I can effectively prepare for my knowledge exams. Our dedicated apprenticeships team were also on hand to help with any difficulties or questions.

The overall support from the training provider was good. I had talent coaches who were on hand to help with any queries and set up regular meetings for progress reviews. At the same time I also had talent coaches who were very hard to reach and did not provide much support

The qualification has definitely provided me with much more industry knowledge. I feel overall more confident in my day to day role and customer interactions as a result of completing this apprenticeship. The content of the apprenticeship was very relevant to my current role and there have been many instances where I have applied my knowledge in my day to day work tasks.

There are normally a wide range of events that employees of HSBC can attend, however at the moment these are limited to the COVID 19 pandemic. Events I have visited in the past include careers fairs and area award evenings as well as fundraising events. We also have the 'get active hub' which has monthly sport challenges with prizes to be won.

Yes

I think that HSBC is a great company to work or study at. Their overall company ethos has been very much people driven rather than results driven. There are also many perks and benefits as a company employee as well as a good rewards package. Management as always very approachable and helpful when needed.

The experience factor is not something that should deter your form applying for a role. I had no experience in banking or the financial industry but showed a key interest in learning and developing myself. There is plenty of training provided at the start of the role as well as regularly throughout.