Retail Operations Apprentice Review

I'm situated in the Dealing team within Retail Operations. My daily tasks consists of processing web and paper deals. It is a fast paced working environment as we have to meet the dealing cut offs for funds that the clients wishes to sell/switch. As I'm currently onboarded onto the apprenticeship programme with Fitch I get 20% off the job hours, which allows me to revise towards my IOC qualification.

I've learnt many skills and also developed existing skills during my time with Fidelity. One of the main skills that I have managed to improve is my team working skills. On a daily basis, I have to work with other colleagues so it was vital for me to have good team working skills and Fidelity helped me develop this skill.

I've been on this programme for 3 months now and I absolutely love it. At the end of the apprenticeship programme I would have a professional qualification from CISI and also a level 3 apprenticeship certificate from Fitch. The people here plays a huge part on why I love this programme as all the managers are extremely flexible when it comes to revising for my upcoming exams.

The programme is very well structured. The onboarding process was seamless and well organized. We get support from our manager to revise for 1 hour each day towards our IOC exams. The support at Fidelity has been incredible from day one. We are assigned a buddy who has just finished the apprenticeship programme and we also get assigned a mentor who is at Associate Director level and above.

We get as much support as we need. If there is something you want to talk about you can always talk to your manager. The manager tends to be the first point of call if you need any support. The Early Careers Team are there if you need any support with your apprenticeship or if you think the role you're currently in isn't the right fit for you. Overall the support system in place has been fantastic to me.

I get assigned a Skills Coach from Fitch, they will be there for me if I need any support throughout the tenure of my apprenticeship programme. I meet up with my Skills Coach every 6 weeks to discuss how I'm progressing towards my apprenticeship and how my revision for my exams are going. I thoroughly enjoy the training that is being provided to me.

Currently I'm doing an Investment Operations Technician Apprenticeship, this is helping me gain extra knowledge on how important Operations is to Investment firms. In my end point assessment, I have to write about what my role consist off and have to provide evidence which I gained while on the job training.

As a pandemic is happening right now it is difficult to get myself involved in extra-curricular activities such as social events or sports clubs. The Early Careers Team do try their best to host networking events via zoom which I attend, but it is nowhere near like a face to face event.

Yes

Fidelity is a great place to be working at with a fantastic support system in place. Everyone in the firm is so welcoming and they treat you with respect. As I'm an apprentice I got the opportunity to meet senior members in the firm, which came as a surprise. Fidelity is a great place to work for.

I was part of the Entrepreneurs in Action interview process which didn't recruit me based on my CV. In the future the recruitment methods could change but the main tips I could give you is make sure you are engaged throughout the interview process. Being engaged and working collaboratively in a team will make you stand out.