Renewals Apprentice Review

Item: Renewals Apprentice at First Response Finance Limited
Rating: 3.9
Author: Anonymous

at First Response Finance Limited

Degree Apprenticeship

Finance

Leigh, Greater Manchester

Review Submitted: April 2021

Overall Rating

3.9 /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!

4/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

3.4/5 - 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

Essentially an 80/20 role
80% underwriting, 20% project & product development
Personal loan underwriter
I am responsible for lending money to customers, in turn, I need to measure my performance.
I am also responsible for developing the personal loan product through a work-based project.
This includes a full revamp of the product.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

I enjoy going to uni and the course itself. I find it really interesting and I am able to relate this to what I am doing at work. Further to this, I enjoy the fact I am able to get a full uni degree while working and without the debt.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

I have been able to develop my skills when working collaboratively with others. This has been developed as my KSB's and at work, I have had the opportunity to work within different teams. Further to this, I have been able to develop my customer service skills while being in a customer demand job I have been able to work with a variety of customers

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

3/5

I think the course is structured well. The first couple of years there was a lot of changes in the course itself and also from the uni side, there was a lot of changes with staffing so i felt this disrupted the course flow slightly however, recently in this past year it has been a bit more stable.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

4/5

I have had enough support from my company so far in my apprenticeship. I have an early careers mentor who works in an 80/20 role to aid my development. Additionally, i have a team leader who looks after my work based performance. Both of these mentors are involved in my uni reviews so I do feel there is enough support.

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

4/5

I think I get enough support from the training provider. I feel that I would have enough support if I needed it - via any emails or contacting my lecturers. Further to this, I have access to an online learning area where lectures and learning materials are stored for me to look back on if i need to.

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

4/5

I have been able to use content that I have learnt in some of my uni modules within work. For example, I have been able to relate things from the sales and marketing modules to the projects that I am working on in work when developing our marketing promotions that is sent to customers

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

2/5

At work I have been involved in a 5-a-side football in the first year however this later stopped. Other than this in the first year of the course, there hasn't really been any extra-curricular activities that I can get involved in at work. I do however go to the gym with some of my colleagues but this isn't part of work. I did go to some careers fairs with work into schools which I found useful

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend First Response Finance Limited to a friend?

Yes

Why?

I think the company fits with my values and I like what the company stands for. Further to this, the company pays well, and there is an annual bonus which is a positive. The company has a variety of benefits such as a health insurance package, good pension contribution which is also a positive thing.

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to First Response Finance Limited?

Sounds cliche but I would say to be yourself. It is important you are right for the role just as much as the company is right for you, on any interviews and assessment days it is easy to see through people who are being 'fake' so it is important to be yourself. Further to this I would urge anyone looking to apply to do their research on the company, values and purpose

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