Apprentice Review

Item: Apprentice at Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Rating: 4.1
Author: Anonymous

at Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Higher Level Apprenticeship

Information Technology, Finance

Stratford New Town

Review Submitted: April 2021

Overall Rating

4.1 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

3.5/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

3.8/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

4/5

My role sits in a Cyber, Technology and Resilience department where I sit on an incident response management team. Here I deal with both cyber and tech incidents that occur / happen at external firms that the FCA regulate. Alongside this role, I also help with the cyber culture at the FCA.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

3/5

I have found my programme quite challenging, however I think a lot of the difficulties have originated from starting from home, virtually. This being said, the business have provided plenty of support to facilitate this, and I don't think my programme has been negatively affected as a cause of this.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

I have developed lots of social skills throughout my apprenticeship so far, from talking to people with various backgrounds and expertise. I also have external people in my training sessions who I interact with. I have also learnt the basics of constructing emails, organisation culture and how to perform in a professional environment.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

I have a set training session day, where I complete training courses led by my learning instructor. This works links to the exams that I complete. And also have a portfolio that I am constructing and planning alongside, as well as a secondment opportunity to aid towards my apprenticeship programme.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

4/5

My manager is extremely supportive and puts in lots of time and effort to ensure I am on the right track for success. My organisation is flexible with my apprenticeship requirements, and have been able (so far) to accommodate to these. My learning provider also has frequent meetings to check my progress.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

4/5

My training provider presents training sessions every week which covers all criteria in the course that is necessary for the exams. I also have 1:1 meetings with them as well as progress reviews with them and my manager. These meetings allow for us to check my progress and identify any challenges.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

4/5

It provides me with the knowledge that is necessary for me to complete my job role. Coming straight out of college, I did not have any previous knowledge or experience to lead me through my job role, so that context and information it provides has been beneficial for my understanding.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

3/5

Yes however this has been difficult to engage in due to the nature of working from home. I have become a member of some 'women' orientated groups, as it has become evident that this is a very male dominated industry. This allows for information sharing and advice for women in this industry.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to a friend?

Yes

Why?

Because I think it has been a great place to kickstart my career. You are surrounded by a variety of people from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities and genders however we are all one community. They have been supportive with my apprenticeship and I look forward to see where it'll take me.

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)?

To demonstrate your motivation for the job role, and what you can bring to the FCA. I found it particularly important to complete research on the background and overall context of the work the FCA does - the FCA covers many job roles so this research will demonstrate how keen and eager you are.

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