Financial and commerical trainee Review

My role currently focuses primarily on cash management and forecasting, foreign currency deals, accounting month end and project work in one of our manufacturing plants. Generally, my day will be a mixture of project work, meetings and accounting work to help support the factory. I enjoy my daily work as it can very and also keeps me on my toes.

The main educational aspect of the course revolves around working towards your CIMA membership. Due to the value and nature of the CIMA membership, you learn a vast amount of information not just in the financial side but also areas such as Math’s and Law. Further to this other various workshops are put on for the apprentices such as Excel and journal entry lessons. I have also gained a wealth of knowledge from my day to day activities, from using financial tools to seeing how financial decisions can affect the whole business.

I thoroughly enjoy the programme. University wasn't something that appealed to me and the Academy gave me the opportunity to get into employment through a different route, whilst still building on academic qualifications. I can build on skills i already have and also gain new skills which can be used in most jobs too.

Within Siemens I feel that my work is valued and is taken seriously, with managers being happy to provide me with projects that will be seen by senior members of the business. Not only this but within team meetings, you are treated as an equal and in turn your ideas and opinions are taken on board allowing you to really make a changes to the business.

The programme is very structured with support offered throughout your time spent on the Academy, whether the support required is business related or personal. The Academy and Siemens as a whole don't just throw you in at the deep end, support is always there when needed. If we have any problems with the structure of my programme there is always a simple solution to fix it.

The training provider BPP have been fantastic in regards to the support and lessons they have provided for our CIMA studies. The lessons are long however with very enthusiastic and supportive lecturers, the lessons do not drag. As well as face to face support, the reading material and online lectures that they provide are perfect for when you are starting to revise for your exam.

As stated, both placement related and personal support is offered throughout your time on the Academy, but you are enetering the workplace and won't have you hand held at any point. You have to make decisions and try to begin building a career for yourself. Nobody can do that but the employee.

Although there are other apprenticeships offering a slightly higher entry salary, I feel that the costs covered by Siemens for CIMA and the yearly performance related pay rises means that the overall package is quite good. It would be nice to start on a bigger salary when i began however my education is paid for so i can't really complain at this.

There are a variety of different opportunities outside of the workplace. By the end of a placement, you're working with friends as well as colleagues so events and activities will always come up. Just make the most of them! A general email usually floats round the local departments inviting staff for meet ups on the weekend for either someone's birthday or at a certain time of the year such as christmas work parties.

Yes

The scheme truly allows you to really make a difference within the business while fully funding your CIMA studies. Also with a company as large as Siemens it can provide you with great opportunities for the future. You meet friends for life here and also get vital skills and information you can use in any job. I couldn't reccomend it more.

Ensure that you're interested in working in the Engineering and Manufacturing sector along with interest in finance and commercial aspects of business otherwise the scheme wouldn't really be applicable. Also, try to find something that stands you out from every other applicant, whether that be through volunteer work to work experience. Being able to talk about that thing that makes you different from everyone else really does count.