Regulatory Authorisation Apprentice Review

My day to day includes emailing and calling recruits, looking through documents and vetting potential advisers, submitting DBS checks, submitting recruits to the FCA and following recruits from submission and vetting through the academy terms until they are appointed.

I am bettering my professionalism, learning to use software such as Salesforce and excel, improving my communication skills, building on my analysis skills, presentation skills, I am also running a small team for a project which I am gaining a variety of management skills from.

I really enjoy my role, my team has been wonderful and welcoming which helped me settle in very easily and allows me to openly ask any questions. The apprenticeship is a lot of extra work but my manager makes sure I have time set aside to do it.

The programme is very well structured, when it was first introduced we were given a timeline to assist us in knowing what to expect. Each month has hours set aside and the year itself is time lined for you to meet required course hours, the only negative is making sure that there is adequate time each month to finish the OTJ and core learning when experiencing busier periods in the job itself.

I receive a lot of support from my employer, when I first started I was introduced to a 'buddy' who is in my team and was started the same apprenticeship the year before I did, this meant I have someone who knows the experience to offer advice throughout the year. My manager also blocks out time for me to focus on my learning hours and is open to giving me more or less depending on my apprenticeship workload.

The training provider Davies gave me a coach who I can directly message for advice and I also have check ins to run through anything I am struggling with. There are also many documents and extra learning resources that I can use.

My risk and compliance qualification is giving me a depth of knowledge in a very relevant area of the industry, in my role I work very closely with the FCA (a regulator) so learning more about compliance within the industry allows me to understand the importance of my role and ensure that I understand the risks that I encounter.

There are many social events at St. James's place. There are monthly events where employees get together and raise money for the Charitable Foundation. It is also common for co workers and apprentice cohorts to go out and socialise after work to pubs and meals. A specific example is a team volunteering day my team took part in, we were able to get to know each other out of the office.

Yes

I would recommend SJP because I have not had a single negative experience, my interactions with co-workers have only ever been positive and I am given the freedom to develop myself in any way I see fit such as traveling to the Bristol office for a charity meeting to get extra knowledge to assist with the 2025 project. The job itself is interesting and the opportunities to grow within the business are endless.

The process can feel really long but make sure to take any advice you get along the way on board and always be open and receptive to changes. Try not to stress about meeting everyone or feeling isolated as you are guaranteed to meet friendly faces in SJP.