Electronic Trading Risk & Control Management Review

by NatWest

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

8.4/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

I work in the electronic trading risk and control team (First line of defence), looking at the algorithm lifecycle as well as looking at controls and mitigating risks. This involves project management and working with confluence and Jira to create tasks and correct any breaches. I work with senior stakeholders as well as traders.

9/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have learnt many new skills such as working with Jira and confluence which I haven't used before. This also has helped me to use JQL and expand on my excel skills to create reports. I have looked into Microsfot Power BI also. My listening and communication skills have inproved

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I am really enjoying my programme and am handling juggling studying and working so far. The assignments are straight forward but I feel like we should have been studying the CFA a lot earlier in the course as there is a lot of content to go through but overall I am happy with the apprenticeship

8/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

It is organised well but as I started in April, My CFA exam is in August the following year, we should have had learning materials in August rather than January and to prepare, a there is a lot of context, also I think we should have had more frequent CFA webinars rather than 3 hours a week

7/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

My manager is brilliant and lets me revise as much as I need for the exam. They also help me with my assignments by checking through and re-reading them to make sure there is no mistakes and gives me pointers on how to improve. I do think the wider team, teams with no apprentices should be given more info on apprenticeships

8/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

My coach is very helpful and we have a catch-up every 6 weeks which is enough for me. I can imagine thats not enough for some people who are feeling stressed or anxious and need support so I think there should be regular emails in place also. My CFA coach is great too, really helpful but as I say maybe we should have had support earlier in the year.

8/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

Only a few people in my team have done the CFA so I think it is a good opportunity for me to stand out in the team and will help my in the future if I ever want to look for another role. Everything I am doing in the CFA is relevant to my current role which is useful

9/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

Yes, I am currently a mentor to 2 new apprentices and I help and support them with that. I have recently applied to be part of the Apprenticeship council so that's another social activity I can be part of. I do wish there were more social events such as getting the apprentices to come down to London from Manchester so we can all socialise

9/10

9a. Would you recommend NatWest to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

Because it's a good place to work and has good values, the people are nice and its a positive organisation to work for. There is a lot of scope to progress aswell and easy to learn something new or study towards an external qualification which could be funded my Natwest

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to NatWest?

Just go for it, there is so much opportunity here if one role isn't right for you, I'm sure there is a team out there which will need you. Before applying also look at the critical people capabilities which will help you in your interview and creating case study scenarios.