Global Markets Degree Apprentice Review

I work on the trading floor. I am part of a team that deals with derivatives and structured products containing derivatives. My day-to-day activities involve pricing the products we have when we receive client requests based on current market conditions, producing daily and weekly reports on revenue, keeping a record of the pricing requests that the desk receives and producing any research of project that my manager considers appropriate and helpful for my professional development (presentations, market research...). All of this while also doing university assignments and studying on the study day,(Wednesday) when you don't come in to work, but rather, you have lectures, time to study and do assignments.

This is the only point where I see opportunity for significant improvement. It's not badly structured, it works and makes you succeed and become a good professional while earning and learning, however, there are two main areas that I would like to highlight if you're considering this program.
1 - The first 2 months on the desk you join. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, however, due to the intense and busy nature of the industry, your line manager may not always have time to give you all the training you need or answer all your questions while you learn how to do your job, hence, you need to be very proactive and seize every opportunity you have to learn or ask questions.
2 - The Apprenticeship program consists of various parts that you need to pay attention to in terms of education. The CISI qualification and exams, the university finance assignments, the university professional practice assignments and the evidence portfolio with your academic mentor. These belong on different platforms and there is no centralized platform where you can keep track of what is due and upcoming, hence, you need to be on top of your game always, checking everything and making sure you're handing in your assignments in time as well as preparing properly for your exams. It's not necessarily badly organized, you just need to check various sources for your education objectives and adds slightly more stress and pressure on to you as it can be easy to miss details.

The support network is very broad, you always have someone to talk to or ask a question. The support you receive comes from:
-Your line manager, he/she may be busy at times but overall, they're your main point of contact for questions and support about the job.
-Your professional mentor. As part of the program, you get a professional mentor, who is another experienced professional from the bank who will have recurring catch-ups with you and guide you as well as answer any questions you have.
-Your apprenticeship buddy. This is an older apprentice, from the older cohorts. This is a good connection as they've gone through what you're undergoing now. I found my buddy's support very useful and it's a more informal way of talking about you concerns or doubts.
-The University lecturers. They're always keen to help you with any doubts about assignments.
-The UBS Apprentice HR team.
-The sponsors. Team of senior employees who form part of your network.

Exeter has provided us with many resources such as mock exams and in depth lectures about the topic studied. The lecturers are experienced in the finance industry and are always willing to help and answer any question. I found it very surprising as I thought that uni would be mainly independent work (which it is) but at the same time, you have the support of the lecturers and staff, helping you to navigate the syllabus.

At the moment what we study in the qualifications is only relevant for our general knowledge of the industry and for helping us understand discussions about the topic, but at least in my case, it doesn't really teach me anything that I do on the job. It does however, make you more responsible and aware of things like regulation and the wider economic environment.

Yes

The overall value of the program is very good. It's not only about the money, the fact that you get a degree from a reputable institution without getting in debt, the connections you make, the environment that you get to be a part of, the experience you build and the freedom that having your own salary gives you. I don't regret not going to university the traditional way at all.