Learning & Development Assistant Review

I am on the 2020 Investment Programme for School Leavers. I work in the Learning and Development department at Schroders. Some of my daily tasks involve working on long term projects with the team, answering queries regarding training sessions, keeping track of individuals attending training sessions, making payments to suppliers and reporting on sessions run globally in the company. I interact with many individuals across the company daily, this may be in meetings regarding requests for types of training, in training sessions themselves or more long term relationships with those who are on specific programmes. Externally I keep in regualr contact with many of the suppliers delivering the courses at Schroders. Additionally, I interact with many external companies offering courses that we do not already offer - this may be via the phone, emails, meetings or special events. I am responsible for maintaing the data for the courses we run, paying all of the invoices, making sure that attendees know where they are going, what time and when, reporting on training sessions with statistics and looking into new types of training we can offer to our employees. I am working on several long term projects with my team, these involve creating new programmes for employees to sign up to. These programmes will include various training sessions and possibly exams. I am also currently working on a development programme for people within the company - this is almost complete and is something that I shall be managing once complete. When i first joined I took over a project with the intranet. I now maintain the intranet site, updating it with any new information and constantly making additions to our pages.

I shall be recieveing my CISI Qualification - Fundamentals Of Financial Services Certificate with Schroders. I have attended several courses internally, these include an "Effective Writing" course, "Handling Conflict" course, "Influencing Skills" course and an "Inroduction to the City and Investment Management" course. Externally I have attended a "Thinking On Your Feet Course" and several L&D Forum Meetings. I have developed significantly over the 3 months that I have been with Schroders, my communication, professional and management skills have made great progression. I have learnt so much from being in the working environment, watching my team work, oserving how they approach situations and the techniques they may use when working. The training sessions have mainly helped to develop my knowledge of what Schroders as a company do on a global scale, my personal skills that can be used in any type of workplace and professional skills.

The work that I do is very interesting. It is great to be able to see what oppourtunities are avaliable for everyone in the workplace. Working in the Learning & Development team has made me aware that you can create a structure to your career, and your company shall support you with any progressions you wish to make. I couldnt have asked for a better team, they are incredibly supportive, encouraging and understanding. They are aware that I am at the start of my career and therefore would not push me to do anything I was uncomfortable with however, they do encourage me to work to my limits. This programme exceeded my expectations. The work that I am doing is all relative and I am able to see the difference that I as an individual make - this is very rewarding! I thoroughly enjoy my placement and I hope to go into a very similar job in the future.

I feel very valued by my whole team. After completeing tasks I am thanked for my hard work. Every week I have a meeting with my manager to discuss my progression - these are very encouraging as I recieve positive feedback and we look at my next steps which is very exciting! External coaches often will report back on individuals, stating how well organized and efficient they were. All of the feedback I have recieved has been very positive! My responsibilities make me feel very valued - I manage several projects and organise meetings for my managers to get involved. They appreciate my hard work.

My programme is very well structured. We recieved an induction day when we first joined, this included and introduction to particular teams acorss the company and activities outside the office in order to get to know the area. A structured plan has been developed for us regarding training and studying time for our exams. I have recieved great amounts of support throughout my CISI qualification, recieveing various study materials. Schroders have given me a mentor from my department who I meet with on a regualr basis for catch ups about my progression. It is great to hear about hteir own career path and experiences.

Our training provider for our qualification is CISI. We do recieve a lot of support from them however, they can sometimes be slow to reply. The accessibility is very easy, it is either done via a website or email address. The general attitude towards supporting those that we recieve from Schroders is very good, the learning and development department are very supportive to anyone recieveing any type of training within the company. they like to ensure that it is right for the individual. I have really enjoyed studying for my CISI qualification. It has expanded my knowledge on the Investment Banking industry massively.

I recieve a lot of support from my manager, the HR team and my mentor. I feel very comfortable approaching all 3 sources of support and I have has very positive experiences with all of them. Everyone is always happy to help.

My salary package is very good and exceeds the covering that I would require for my expenses.

There are many events, voluntary acitivites and forums that I have already been involved with and I am sure that there shall be a lot more! I am part of the Schroders netball team, competeing in regular matches against other city teams.

Yes

I feel that is a fantastic oppourtunity for an individual to develop their professional skills, recieve a taster of what working life is like and to experience a company environment. I have been fully supported throughout my time and the Schroders environment is an incredible one to work in.

I would recommend that people just be themselves throughout the whole application process - there would be nothing worse than pretending to be someone that you are not and then having to live up to those expectations once you were hired. In addition to this, a company would be very dissapointed if they thought that you were something that you are not. My other piece of advice is to always say Yes. Take on any challenge that is given to you or any task that is asked. it is a great way to learn and even if you do not do so well - you know what to do better for next time.