Client Relations Apprentice Review

My role is to work on client queries and requests. For example many clients require data on a quarterly basis. This means that I must fill out the questionnaire or the relevant document they have sent with accurate data. I also complete many internal reporting for various people and committees within the business so they can also track the performance of the three Long-Income Funds my team manages.

I have developed my communication and organisation skills. Becoming an apprentice and working there for a few months means you take up more responsibility for the work you have been assigned. Speaking to various people in person and via email I have been able to develop my communication skills and receive feedback on how to improve. I have learnt to prioritise certain tasks in order to meet deadlines.

I enjoy the on-the-job learning and training I get. It's interesting to develop my knowledge in the real estate sector and what my team does. I enjoy getting involved in different tasks and seeing how the team face adversity and challenging times when the economic environment takes a downturn and how market events can directly impact our Funds. I believe there is substantial amount of improvement needed to be made to the off-the-job training our training partner BPP provides. I believe the opportunity we get from them we could spend time increasing and expanding our financial knowledge rather than the coursework they assign us.

I would say it is organised as they set deadlines to meet and have frequent calls to discuss development and progress. However, I think they should change the structure of the programme and focus on ways that could benefit apprentices more, perhaps make more tailored programmes. The structure of the Mission coursework they assign us assumes every apprentice is able to meet the objectives however as every apprentice is completing different work it can be difficult to meet ever descriptor they set us. Sometimes this can become difficult to achieve.

I receive good support from my employer. They have a dedicated apprenticeship team who we can reach out to with any problems. They support employees who may be struggling and even increased apprentices salary during their pay review. We receive benefits such as private medical insurance and are able to work from home.

When I submit my coursework I do receive feedback on it and ways I can improve it to make it even better. We have 6 weekly calls with my coach and manager to go through targets I can set myself to improve my development even further. They are also able to have one-to-one calls with you outside of the 6-weekly catch-ups if you need help on the Mission beforehand.

In terms of the Mission content it doesn't really help me perform better in my role. That being said it does help me with how to stay organised to meet deadlines which is a very important skill to have in my job role. Some of the descriptors can sometimes push me out of my comfort zone to achieve something I may not have otherwise done. Mission 5 and 6 may be more useful in helping me perform better in my role as it is a project I must complete independently that will benefit the team, but I have not yet completed this task.

There are volunteering days the company offers to get involved in. Every employee has two days in the year assigned to volunteering, for example helping out at a foodbank or another charity. Apprentices have the chance to do one with their team and one with their apprentice cohort if they like. As part of the apprenticeship programme you get to go to Investment 2020 events and that is a professional networking event where you can meet people from other industries.

Yes

M&G offer lots of support to new joiners. There is lots of opportunities to grow and constantly learn about different parts of the business. They have a friendly work environment and prioritise a work-life balance. Employees get a good holiday package of 30 days and most other firms over less days than this.

I would say to practice giving interview answers and look up typical interview questions and prepare answers for them. Practice how to do well in an assessment centre day as you will need to outperform the rest of your group. Research your role and the company to know if it is even something you are interested in.