Junior Assistant / Business Administrator Apprentice Review

I am based in Global Banking and am in the process of training to become a Junior Assistant. I am currently responsible for twelve junior (Associate Directors and Analysts) Investment Bankers. Along with the Senior Assistant on my team (my line manager) I am required to help in anyway I can. Day to day responsibilities include: setting up internal and external virtual/in person meetings, liaising with internal assistants within London and around the world, booking meeting rooms, booking travel and accommodation, communicating with clients, completing monthly expenses, preparing for new joiners, completing duties on internal systems and overall assisting my team on deals where necessary and in everyday life. I also am responsible for organising team events (from casual drinks to bigger events) and have the opportunity to train colleagues on key systems and processes.

I have learnt so much since starting in September 2020. I have always had good interpersonal skills, been very organised and enjoyed working in a team. I have been able to develop these massively since becoming an assistant and rely on them so much more. I have had to work individually in the past at school, but since starting my first full time job and joining a large company, I have been forced to become even more independent, as I am solely responsible for my own work and progress. Additionally, joining an Investment Bank meant that I had to complete many Computer Based Trainings in order to understand the rules and regulations surrounding my role and business environment.

From the study side, I am currently eight months into my apprenticeship and have really enjoyed it so far. BPP have been an excellent provider and I feel that I have come a long way since October. Their communication is great and I really enjoy all of the modules, webinars and missions. From the work side, I have been made to feel so welcome at UBS. My team has been brilliant at making sure I have settled in well and despite Covid I am beginning to build relationships with them all. I have made the most of visiting the office and as a result I have been able to meet more colleagues in person. I did not know what to expect from an apprenticeship but I do not at all feel like I am treated any differently and am included as a functioning member of my team.

My programme induction lasted one day and allowed students to understand what BPP stands for and what the next 12-15 months would look like. The course is very well structured and is split into six modules and six missions. The modules and missions are linked and each piece of work helps to build my portfolio. The first four missions aim to hit as much of the criteria as possible and the final two join together to become a larger project. After twelve months I am then required to complete a multiple choice exam (20%), an interview based on my portfolio (40%) and a presentation based on my project (40%). Each module has a range of self study resources including multiple choice questions, one live introductory webinar, one live (should be in person) full day webinar, one recorded webinar and one live forum for the mission. As in my contract, I am required to dedicate 20% of my working week (contractually this is 35 hours so 7 hours/one day per week) purely to my apprenticeship. Every six weeks I also virtually speak with my coach at BPP and line manager to review my progress and next steps. I have found the structure pretty straightforward and our Learning Plan was given to us at our onboarding to allow students time to familiarise themselves with it. However there is overlap between the prior mission and next module which can be overwhelming.

UBS as a whole is very invested in the development of their apprenticeship programme and therefore I have a lot of support. My line manager is very focused and passionate about me succeeding in my studies and achieving a distinction grade. She has been responsible for writing my witness testimonies and therefore is very aware of my progress. My team are also incredibly supportive of my apprenticeship and constantly ask how I am progressing and always provide feedback on my work when needed for evidence. UBS also has an Apprentice Network that allows the newest cohort of apprentices to learn from higher cohorts and partake in events and talks. I also have two mentors at UBS who I have bi-weekly and monthly catch up sessions with.

My main point of contact at BPP is my coach, who I have review progress calls with every six weeks. During these calls we discuss my progress so far and set targets that I need to achieve by our next call. I am able to communicate any concerns that I have and ask any questions about my current module/mission. I also have the course email address that I can use at any time and usually I receive a response on the same day I send an email. Additionally, I have tutors for the module side of my course who teach the live webinars and also provide their email addresses if I have any questions regarding the syllabus. I have found some tutors better than others, depending on their teaching style.

The learning outcomes that I am required to meet as a part of my apprenticeship include: organisational knowledge, policy understanding, planning and organisation, adaptability, responsibility, IT, communication, interpersonal skills etc. I am required to present all of these skills and behaviours during my role as a trainee junior assistant. Moreover, my module work covers topics such as data management, health and safety and organisation structure. All of this is relevant to my workplace.

Due to Covid this has been more challenging, however I still feel as though I have been able to get involved. My team have been excellent with virtual team events/drinks and this has made the process of getting to know my colleagues much easier. The Apprentice Network has also put on a range of activities, from quizzes to speaker sessions to voluntary charity events. This has meant that I have been able to interact with external speakers/guests and my cohort. Global Banking at UBS also puts on events that involve getting to know senior bankers, career advice and wellbeing activities that have all been great to join in with.

Yes

I would recommend UBS to a friend as I cannot fault them in my last nine months. Despite Covid, I feel I have been welcomed by everyone that I have interacted with. All have been very empathetic to starting a new role at home and I have never been made to feel under pressure as a result. I have received excellent training from my line manager when learning about my role and feel that in nine months I have learnt an awful lot and come a long way. When I started everything was well organised and despite a few IT issues at the start (unavoidable wherever you are a new joiner!), the remote working scenario has been great. At first it was a little isolating and daunting, but frequent catch up sessions and visiting the office when appropriate has helped this massively. I like what UBS stands for and their aim and vision is inspiring and reflected in every day life of all employees.

Due to Covid all of my application process was online. I had to complete a written application, a numerical test, a recorded video interview, two virtual Skype interviews and a final phone interview. I would recommend all applicants to do lots of research on UBS. Their website has lots of information on their history, ethos and achievements. Understanding the type of company you are applying for is important anyway, but it shows your interviewer you have taken the time to look into it. Try and find something to relate to, for example an interest in one of their sponsors or previous awards. I also found it helpful to have a current news story related to UBS as this is a talking point and further shows your interviewer you have gone further than most applicants. If your interviews are at home make sure you wear office attire as this helps you get into the correct mindset for an interview. I created documents that I had in front of me on a board behind the camera (so I didn't look down), to provide me with prompts during the interview. I would recommend taking the list of desired qualities and skills from the job advert and coming up with examples of when you have demonstrated them in the past. For a recorded video interview make the most of the practice round and do not watch yourself back! Most importantly just be yourself and you will be absolutely fine!