HR Apprentice Review

Being able to join my team in particular means that I am exposed to a wide variety of activities and processes. No day is ever the same and some of the things I have been able to work on involves analyzing data to create heat maps, producing strategic reports, data quality checks, simplifying and improving processes, dealing with sensitive HR data and much more. My day-to-day involves working on various projects, often at the same time, to support the business partners and clients at UBS. There will also be work on an ad hoc basis but I always know that the work I am doing is value add.

Most of the skills used at UBS I have already learnt in a previous role. With that being said, I have definitely been able to further hone and develop my skills after joining UBS. For example from thinking critically, analyzing data to create reports, producing accurate analysis to even usage of MS Office package, as the standards at the bank are much higher, I felt that I was able to make improvements in those areas.

The program in itself is new, which means that your colleagues are often navigating through the questions and answers just as you are. However the support is amazing and it really makes a difference to the enjoyment of the program. A benefit to this is that our opinions have really been taken into account and is now being used to improve the experiences of our second cohort of HR apprentices. Generally I feel that the program in itself doesn't stand out in comparison but all in all has been enjoyable.

As the program is new, I have felt that the structure and organization can definitely be improved in having a fixed pipeline. Despite this, having been at UBS for half a year, I think that this flexibility gave me the opportunity to give my own feedback on which activities and processes I thought would be beneficial to the program. This means that it can only get better and with feedback genuinely being taken onboard, I am sure there will be further positive developments in this area.

The support system definitely stands out at UBS. Your questions are always answered no matter how trivial they are and you are never made to feel as though you can't / shouldn't ask questions (this also goes for when you're questioning whether something should be done!). Your opinions as an apprentice are heard and valued which I think is definitely a testament to the great collaborative culture we have here.

The support from the training provider is minimal and often not as helpful. I feel that this is a common issue across other training providers, and has been raised to UBS. UBS has reached out to the training provider and I think despite some improvements being made, there is room for further changes.

The qualification is definitely relevant to my role and a lot of the topics are part of processes / projects that are ongoing in my day-to-day work. I think that the qualification is relevant to the work I am doing and is also well-recognized in the field - the projects and assessments within this help to create a standard in competency so it has helped me to perform better in my role.

There are many opportunities at UBS to get involved - there is a great importance placed on what you do outside of the work which counts as part of your 'year-end reflections'. You are given volunteering days to use in the year, the departments holds many events throughout the year e.g. office golf, Easter egg hunts etc. and there are many networks that you can take part in. You can decide how involved you would like to be.

Yes

The people here at UBS really makes a difference in your experience at UBS. There may be similar programs and opportunities in other companies but UBS stands out because people truly collaborate together and want to develop and continuously improve - and this is also encouraged! I think that many firms speak of the importance of this but not all actually have this culture that UBS has. This definitely makes a difference when you consider the amount of time you spend at work and interacting with colleagues.

We really value differences here at UBS and appreciate that everyone has different experiences resulting in different skillsets. As long as you have the drive and genuine interest to improve and make a difference, you can succeed in your career here at UBS. We are interested in what you have to offer so be yourself and confidently demonstrate what you are capable of.