The value of apprentices in an increasingly digitalised world

17 September 2018

In a wealth management industry undergoing a process of digitalisation, the value of human solutions is being recognised.

Nearly 60% of investors surveyed in 2017 for an Accenture report on “wealth management in the era of hybrid advice” said they felt that human advisers provided the best customised advice.

While at Multrees our focus is on custody and investment administration rather than investment advice, we recognise that our clients feel it important that we have high quality staff that can work as an extension of their own operating team.
Developing great staff who are able to work closely with clients is therefore a priority for us as an organisation. We are particularly proud of our apprenticeship scheme, which helps to train school leavers in financial services as they start their career at Multrees.

Andrew McCaffery, our HR Manager, says that “We want to give something back and invest in the training of new employees. The main advantage in hiring an apprentice is that you’re able to lead them in how they develop from an early stage. We have five new apprentices this year and it’s excellent to see how they’ve all settled in.”

The apprenticeship lasts 12-18 months and involves a series of modules, governed by the assessment body that we work with. There are mandatory units involving numeracy and ICT, as well as other optional modules, all helping to build useful skills for the workplace and the ability to contribute to our high quality service.

“When I left school I was unsure of what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to go somewhere I could progress myself and develop my skills,” says Jason Scott, a Data Management apprentice who has been at Multrees for two months. “I see an apprenticeship as the best of both worlds, where you’re able to gain training, as well as learning through working at the same time. Hopefully, in the next year or so, I can know my whole job role to a really good standard and make sure I also achieve the apprenticeship qualifications.”

Another apprentice, Kate Henry, has been at Multrees for three months and works in our Treasury department. “The key skills that I’ve had to develop are definitely organisational and time management skills,” she says. “You have to make sure that you’re on top of things, as there are a lot of different deadlines that we have to meet.”