Tearing up the rule book on routes into banking careers | Nicosia ...

Are apprenticeships new in modern banking and finance?

Many company policies in various industries overlook young people who are not in employment, education or training, seeing them as ?challenging? to employ ? and to date the same has sadly been true of many banks. We want to break away from that mindset because we believe that banks have a role in employment and training, which is why we launched our apprenticeship programme this year. It is time to do away with old stereotypes of apprentices and recognise that these are valuable ways to bridge the skills gap and nurture talent in every industry.

What benefits can younger people bring?

By investing in the untapped potential of young people, there can be real rewards both for them and the business. Changing the way we recruit has been a hugely rewarding challenge and Barclays is already becoming a richer, stronger and more diverse organisation.

What do you look for when hiring a young person?

We look for energy, passion and initiative, along with hard work and a commitment to a career in banking. In the past, banks tended to look only at qualifications and many companies still require GCSE qualifications. At Barclays, we?ve torn up the rule book and are offering apprenticeships that require no qualifications or experience. We are looking for young people not in employment, education or training but with great talent and potential, who might have been overlooked by businesses in the past. It might seem like a risk but it has brought nothing but benefits and a new positive way of working for us. We ask whether this person can provide great service to our customers? The answer is often emphatically ?yes?.

Are apprenticeships the ?new grad scheme??

For a large organisation like Barclays there is room for both. You need specialist skills and people skills. Before we launched this programme, fewer than 1 per cent of our branch staff (300 people) were under 21. Now we?ve opened up a new route into work which also helps us to reflect our customers better. So it?s important that businesses consider both options. Through an apprenticeship programme, businesses can offer young people with few or no qualifications a chance to learn on the job and gain vital skills. White collar industries have tended to use internships in the past, but a well run apprenticeship programme can be much more structured and more valuable to the business in the long term.

What do your apprentices do?

On the 12-month programme they learn the ropes as cashiers, telephone bankers and mortgage operations specialists. They receive regular progress reviews and assessment visits, 16 hours of self-directed study and they work towards qualifications in customer service and retail banking. All our apprentices are paid a full salary commensurate with new joiners, and everyone who successfully completes the programme is guaranteed a permanent role. Our ambition is for our apprentices to be the senior leaders in Barclays in 10, 15 or 20 years.

Is it all plain sailing?

With any new way of working there will be challenges, but there is advice available from organisations such as the National Apprenticeship Service who can help to explain the funding and processes involved. They can also put you in touch with specialist recruiters who have experience in this area and can find people who are ready to become apprentices.

Source: http://nicosiamoneynews.com/2012/12/13/tearing-up-the-rule-book-on-routes-into-banking-careers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tearing-up-the-rule-book-on-routes-into-banking-careers

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