A total of 14 apprentices have been appointed by NatWest in Yorkshire as part of a nationwide programme.
NatWest is the first bank in the UK to implement a full apprenticeship programme for those aspiring to work in financial services. The vigorous 18-month scheme includes completion of workbooks each month which are marked by examiners as well as weekly 121 mentoring. The workbooks assess a variety of subjects including lending, risk and other topics associated with banking and finance.
The current group of Yorkshire apprentices are based within the bank’s Corporate & Commercial, C&TM, Invoice Finance Sales, Lombard and Real Estate businesses and are participating in placements across the function including time with the bank’s Invoice Finance and Commercial Lending as part of the scheme. They also work in collaboration with apprentices involved on programmes at other organisations such as Taylor&Emmet LLP Solicitors on projects.
NatWest currently has 533 apprentices on its programme across the UK.
Michael Bettinson, has recently completed his apprenticeship with NatWest in South Yorkshire.
He said: “My time on the programme was invaluable as I was able to spend time with several teams within the bank and gain a better understanding of how the function operates as a whole. It was a great way to develop my skillset as well and puts me in a solid place for my further professional development.”
Will Islip, Senior Relationship Manager, at NatWest, coordinates the programme locally and said: “At NatWest, we believe our apprentices play a crucial role in helping us become the number one bank for customer service, trust and advocacy. We recognise that it’s this passion that creates the potential to succeed, so we do our best to make sure we give each of our apprentice’s access to the support and training they need. Michael and our other 14 apprentices in Yorkshire are an asset to our teams and we want them to gain as much experience as possible while working with us.”
Sharna Poxon, HR Manager, said: “There is an evolving positive trend towards apprenticeships. At Taylor&Emmet LLP, we are proud to be ahead of that trend and more so of our existing Apprentices who are going from strength to strength and who are making an invaluable contribution to the firm and their teams. With the introduction of the new Apprenticeship Levy coming into effect in April 2017 and disbandment under the new regime of age restrictions on apprenticeships, it is an exciting time to develop our Apprenticeship scheme further to support future growth and organisational aspirations.
