Finance Industrial Placement Review

I am currently completing an Industrial Placement within the Subsidiaries Reconciliations team in Nationwide's Finance function. My role involves ensuring that financial information recorded across Nationwide and its subsidiaries is accurate by completing reconciliations, investigating differences, and working with stakeholders to resolve outstanding items.
On a day-to-day basis, I analyse financial data, investigate reconciliation breaks, communicate with colleagues across different business areas, and support the timely completion of month-end activities.

Yes, I was given a significant level of responsibility throughout my placement. After completing my initial training, I became responsible for managing my own portfolio of reconciliations, ensuring they were completed accurately and within deadlines. This involved investigating financial differences, identifying root causes, and working directly with stakeholders across the business to resolve outstanding items.

One of the biggest areas of development has been stakeholder management and communication. Through investigating reconciliation differences and resolving outstanding items, I have regularly worked with colleagues across different teams and levels of the organisation. This has improved my confidence in building relationships, communicating complex information clearly, and influencing outcomes.
I have also significantly developed my analytical and problem-solving skills. A large part of my role involves examining financial data, identifying the causes of reconciliation breaks, and determining the most effective way to resolve them. This has strengthened my attention to detail and ability to approach problems in a structured manner.

I received a high level of support throughout my placement, which played an important role in helping me develop both professionally and personally.
From the beginning, my manager and colleagues provided thorough training and guidance to help me understand the team's processes, systems, and responsibilities. Regular one-to-one meetings gave me the opportunity to ask questions, discuss challenges, receive feedback, and identify areas for development. This support helped me build confidence and become more independent in my role over time.

The culture in the company is great with plenty of support provided by both the early careers team and my wider colleagues. There are lots of organised events to make the most of the year which are a key highlight of the placement.

I really enjoyed my placement and would definitely recommend it. I was given meaningful responsibility from early on, had the chance to work on a variety of projects and improvement initiatives, and learned a lot throughout the year. The team was supportive and welcoming, which made it easy to ask questions, develop new skills, and build confidence. There was also plenty of opportunities outside of my daily role to develop soft/social skills further. Overall, it was a great experience that helped me grow both professionally and personally.

Yes