Apprentice - Financial Services Professional Review

My role falls into the bracket of Programme Management Officer (PMO). I work collaboratory with the programme manager along side their PMO. I am responsible for ensuring the correct governance of the project/programme are kept inline with the groups policy. This includes assurance, financials, project/programme updates and keeping track of OKRs and KPIs

I have build upon my time management skills have to balance the apprenticeship with work. I have increase my public speaking and stakeholder management as speaking to senior stakeholders is a key element of my role. Additionally, i have developed my knowledge on the financial industry and the regulators and the rules they have for companies in the finance industry.

I enjoy the variety in tasks i have been able to complete thus far. i feel i have had a great opportunity to work on my professional skills as well as my soft skills in this environment. i have also been placed in an environment which encourages me to take on new opportunities to push me out of my comfort zone

I would not say the programme is greatly structured/organised. as we are the first intake a lot of the people within the department weren't aware of the requirements an apprentice has to complete and to what level. i have taken this in stride and used this to my advantage to gain the best out of the placements i have been put in.

My employer is very encouraging of my doing well during the apprentice. the early careers team however do not necessarily have all the answers to my questions and can take some time to get an update on what i should be doing. they have however allowed me the opportunity to get involved with additional initiatives to help grow my skills and network

limited support has been given thus far. we have had multiple sessions in preparation of assignment and these have no relevance to the assignment itself. there has been no support with regards to examples on how an assignment should be formulated but rather you have to wait for feedback to see where improvements can be made

my qualification helps me to understand why we do business the way we do, how this impacts the customer and our stakeholders, and the benefits we receive as part of this. It has given context of who the FCA and PRA are to provide further understanding on why the governance we monitor is so important.

there has been a number of additional skills events for my job role which have been helpful. We had the chance to attend a Christmas social. I am currently working on a new initiative to create more professional networking events for colleagues within my department as these have been limited

Yes

it is a good company to work for and i have enjoyed my time her so far. the work culture is very accepting and we are encouraged to seek new opportunities to achieve the most out of our time with the business. there is also opportunity to do courses outside of your day job.

i would recommend to research the values of the company and make sure these align to you. this is a big thing which impacts the way we work and you should ensure this meets your lifestyle. Additionally i would recommend they come in with an open mind-set and ensure they network as much as they can.