Graduate Trainee - Commercial Banking: Products & Propositions Review

It has been an incredibly positive experience, I have met so many great people at various of levels within the organisation that recognise the importance of graduate development as the future leaders of the bank. If I were to put into a word the programme, it would be 'range'. As someone without a traditional finance background, I had the opportunity to delve into the lending world which allowed me to upskill on financial concepts and understand another important function within the bank. My products placement allowed me to establish an understanding of the various products the bank offers, but also what makes efficient operations and how the organisation is seeking to maximise this efficiency.

This can very according to placement and where you sit within the organisation. In some placements I was given quite 'meaty' projects where there was high impact to the operations of a team or changing their processes. Sometimes the role can consist of manual repetitive tasks involving copying and pasting information from one source of information to another. The role can range from improving the operations of a business function to reviewing customer experiences to ensure that we are continually serving their needs. I enjoy roles that stretch and challenge me, particularly when their are initiatives where I feel initially scared to start them as that tells me I am doing something that is stretching my ability.

This really varies according to the business area/team. There were some placements where I was able to contribute quite meaningfully early on, and some where the upskilling process can be a bit rigid which can hinder my ability to contribute.

This has improved as I have stayed within the organisation, with the pay rise in the central bank along with the salary uplift entering my second year in the programme being welcomed. I would say the benefits package for a graduate is quite generous and a very attractive part of the role.

If I broaden the question to other aspects of my role such as networking and the graduate manager arrangement, I would say that these things play a crucial role in preparing my future career. Being a graduate I have a unique position within the organisation where I can reach out to people and not feel awkward for doing so as graduates tend to do this. The reason this is not a five is due to this depending on the business area you are mapped on to for your rotation.

Generally speaking I would say that the support is quite strong within the programme so long as you are willing to advocate for what you need. I think the graduate manager arrangement is easily the unique selling point of the graduate scheme as it provides you with the opportunity to potentially be managed by someone that is relatively senior to you and you can learn their habits and ways of handling situations at work from them. I would say the buddy system really depends on whether there is a good match between the individual and their buddy, I do think buddies should be regularly prompted to reach out to their graduates because sometimes they get so busy they forget about them.

This depends on business area, with some areas being quite poor and some being better than others. Generally, it is good but when I was in the lending space it was non-existent.

The organisation has a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity but I wouldn't say that this is unique to NatWest, I think it is a broader issue. Ethnic diversity in the form of having senior leaders from these backgrounds is quite poor with most being white. There is a bit of a drinking culture which can exclude that do not drink/do not attend the pub for religious reasons. Hybrid/remote working policies are ultimately reliant on the team's working pattern, and not what the individual needs which can be problematic at times. Generally speaking though, the organisation has a lot of nice people that are willing to help you out.

This varies according to business area. Generally speaking, when looking at the executive committee this is quite poor. As said earlier, all business areas need to ensure that they are operating in line with the organisation's standards on DEI, and not seeing it as an optional thing.

Yes

It is a good place to work for someone early in their career, the organisation has a commitment to graduate development and there is a clear pathway for the way development is supposed to map out. There are also efforts to try take on and implement feedback from the cohort which is welcomed. I have met some fantastic people through this journey and they are largely the reason I would want to stay within the organisation.

To be honest, the recruitment process was much harder than the roles themselves. Whilst I might get stretchy work in some placements, I cannot say this is a consistent theme across the board which is a shame as recruiting university-educated individuals there is so much they can bring to the table. There are some placements where the work is mostly copying and pasting which can be frustrating given how competitive graduate schemes are, as it can be difficult to know how said task can be put onto my CV as something meaningful.