Finance & Commercial Student Review

Finance and Commercial Academy Student. The course is split into 3 years. The first 2 years involve 2 6 month placements, with a year long placement in the final year. The roles vary from purchasing to central finance, with the emphasis on you to find your 3rd year placement with a view to getting a job in your desired area. The daily tasks are the same as the rest of the team you are working with over that period, they try to fully integrate you to get a real feel and experience of what they do. Through the years you start to get more and more responsibility as your experience increases which is fundamental to the learning experience.

During the scheme we do 2 qualifications: firstly the CIMA qualification starting at the certificate level and also a NVQ apprenticeship which looks at your day to day working skills. Along side this we do training courses every six months on things such as presenting skills, time management, communication skills. These are all very useful skills that can be easily developed back in your daily role.

I find the programme extremely enjoyable and rewarding. The increase in workload and responsibility is very rewarding as it shows you that you are developing your skills. All the teams that I have worked in so far have been very welcoming, happy to help teach you the role and spend time developing your knowledge.

I have received a lot of thanks for the work I have done in my placements and also constructive criticism to help correct things from my managers. This helps to develop your skills and avoid making the same mistakes rather than a manager just saying what you have done is incorrect. There is a champions system in place within Siemens to recognize peoples efforts which is a great system used by everyone to say thank you to people going the extra mile. I think Siemens always makes you feel valued and especially within your team.

The structure of the programme has developed over the last couple of years to improve how it works and give everyone as much opportunity as possible. Training courses are planned out for all year groups to learn new skills. Time is given to study for CIMA exams on top of holiday to make sure you can give it your full effort. Academy managers are always available to offer support and guidance when needed.

Most of our training is provided by BPP who do an excellent job of supporting you from start to finish of each exam. They give you lots of contact details so you can ask as many questions as you like and you always feel supported by them to pass your exams.

The support from my placement managers and the manager of the academy has been fantastic. Whether you need support with work and personal situations they are always approachable and helpful. The HR team at Siemens has a web chat system so you can always talk to someone else that you don't work closely with if you wish.

The salary of the scheme is graded well, with good incentives to meet milestones to progress your salary. All business travel is paid for by Siemens, you are never out of pocket for travel.

There are lots of company events and team building exercises that happen. There is also a lot of charity work done at Siemens that everyone is encouraged to help with. This creates a great team spirit in the office.

Yes

Fantastic people to work with, great support throughout the scheme. You are treated the same as everyone else and given the responsibility needed to develop your career.

Make sure you understand what Siemens does and what its ideas and main drivers are. The interview and assessment day process is very competitive, so do all the research you can and give it everything you have got.