Apprentice Relationship Manager Review

Answering customer queries, completing tasks to support RMs, first point of contact via email or telephone, completing apprenticeship work, remote working, completing and calculating affordability for new lending and providing reports to credit, helping customers every step of the way with any queries they have and ensuring I respond in a timely manner, liaising with other teams within the bank to support our customers, completing appropriate due diligence and obtaining required documents from the customer

Yes I have learnt a large number of new skills. I have gained knowledge of a number of systems which I have never used prior to my role. I have also developed my customer relationship skills along the way enabling me to communicate on an individual level with each of my clients. I have developed a number of skills around lending including calculations and producing credit reports. I have also developed my team working skills.

I enjoy working closely as part of a team which allows me to form good professional relationships. I like having a tutor who understands my individual needs and supports me with my apprenticeship work as appropriate. I enjoy learning on the job as I can work alongside my colleagues and develop significantly each day. I think the apprenticeship work could be at a more challenging level in order to lead to further development for myself.

My programme is well structured. Due to COVID-19 I had a brief pause due to focusing solely on our customers in order to help them through the pandemic. Timescales and deadlines at this stage were revised allowing the programme to continue to run succinctly. I believe support from BPP is suitable as regular check ins with my tutor allow us to work on a structure that works for me without me spending significant amounts of time away from my desk.

My employer is incredibly supportive. My line manager supports my development both within and outside of the apprenticeship through my work on the job. My employer is very flexible around time to study although I prefer not to use a full day and instead work at times that are convenient to my customers. My employer is very approachable if I have a deadline and need to focus on this instead. They are also supportive on a personal level.

My coach is very supportive. I receive regular 1 to 1 sessions where we can discuss my needs and any support that is required. She is very good at responding if I have a query about one of my assignments and the feedback that she provides is very detailed and comprehensive. I know who to contact if I do have any issues along the way although I have not had to make use of such a service.

I believe some of the assignments could be more relevant to my current role and involve more stretch and challenge. While I do make use of examples of my role in my assignments I do not feel they directly involve me developing on the job. I would like to see assignments more closely linked to my specific role but I have only completed 3 assignments and this could change as I continue my journey on the programme.

Yes, there are many extra curricular activities I can get involved with as well as many employee led networks. Due to COVID a lot of the social events have been impacted which has meant networking has been limited over the last few months. However as a team we do always try to have a social event on a Friday, for example a quiz via Zoom but the impact of COVID on networking cannot be understated.

Yes

NatWest is very focused on developing its staff which is highly beneficial as an employee. Its reward packages are very competitive with plenty of opportunities to increase pay based on performance. Management are very supportive of development and allow plenty of flexibility in the role to develop at your own pace. They are interested in funding their employees to achieve relevant qualifications and actively look for ways to develop their staff. The apprenticeship is a good example of this.

Familiarise yourself with the organisation. NatWest is purpose led and wants its employees to model this. Ensure you understand our values before applying for a role. Prepare yourself for the interview and make sure you come up with lots of examples of how you have helped customers and gone the extra mile. Be willing to work as part of a team and be focused on your own development. Demonstrate why you are worthy of the role as it is very competitive.