Modern Apprenticeships. Learn on the job.

Having met Baillie Gifford representatives at the Developing the Young Workforce event, I decided to apply. The online application was really straightforward, and the interview felt more like a chat than a grilling. I was put at ease immediately and then got a full tour of the office and a coffee in the café. Everyone here is very welcoming and since joining, I regularly head out for a run with team-mates and meet the other apprentices for lunch.

I knew I’d gone as far as I wanted to go in formal education and this apprenticeship has 100% lived up to my expectations. I feel I can come in and do important work that makes a difference. I was given responsibility early on, and in my first month I became part of a team working on a continuity planning project. I’ve also started looking into making some of our team’s processes more efficient. It’s been the perfect balance of support and responsibility. The biggest challenge for me has been adjusting to slightly longer days (compared with the school day). It’s not bad, just different, and I have no regrets!

On our first day in the office all the apprentices got together for a half-day training session. We got our laptops set up, ran through some online training and completed a team-building exercise using Lego. It was a clever way to show how Baillie Gifford promotes an ‘agile’ workplace, which is all about the cycle of planning and reviewing the way you do things.

I’ll have completed my apprenticeship within two years, and I know the opportunities will keep on coming. It’s exciting that I’ll have achieved so much so quickly (and at such a young age), and my next step will be to complete the IOC (Investment Operations Certificate). I can see my career progressing and would like to eventually work towards a Team Leader role if I put the work in. The firm rewards people for hard work and the opportunities are there for the taking. The expectation is that everyone gives 100% and the culture is relaxed and supportive, which allows you to do just that.

University wasn’t something I saw myself doing. I wasn’t sure that it would suit me and didn’t have a clear picture about what I would study. I knew a bit about Modern Apprenticeships and schools are talking about them a bit more now, which is great. Having particularly enjoyed Modern Studies and Business at school, I wanted to get out into the workplace and get practical, hands-on experience. This apprenticeship has allowed me to do just that and it’s definitely been the right choice for me.

Help and support is always there when you need it. The programme is very well structured – from the induction, to working through the apprenticeship, plus ongoing training. I meet regularly with my 'buddy', line manager and assessor who all help keep me on the right track. I receive clear objectives to work towards and all the behavioural-skills training on offer has been very useful for my day job. I found the time management and prioritisation course particularly helpful in managing my workload and other people’s expectations. You can’t say ‘yes’ to everyone all the time and I’m learning when and how to prioritise.

I heard about the Baillie Gifford apprenticeships through a friend in the industry. It wasn’t a firm I was familiar with but when I started looking into various opportunities, Baillie Gifford stood out. Initially, I was a bit doubtful as I saw Baillie Gifford as a ‘finance’ company and math isn’t my strongest suit! But the role isn’t all about numbers, and there’s plenty of industry-specific training provided to give you a basic understanding of investment management.

Although we’re surrounded by people who are passionate about their jobs, it’s not all work, work, work! The office environment is very friendly. There are both formal and informal meeting areas, plus a great restaurant and cafe with free tea and coffee. The apprentices often get together to chat over lunch and there’s always an event to go to, like the annual office outing, cinema evenings or team days. These are all great ways to get to know people a bit better.

Having studied Computer Science, English, PE and History for my Highers, I decided on the apprenticeship in IT and Telecommunications. Having found out about my options through apprenticeships.scot, I researched the available opportunities and, happily, found myself in an interview at Baillie Gifford! I had worked at KFC part time when I was at school and had done voluntary work at a local hospice, but I knew that my interests lay in IT. Plus, I really wanted to head straight into the workplace and leave the classroom environment behind.

It’s great to be in a realistic, practical work-place environment dealing with things that are unpredictable. Things don’t always go to plan and we’re always looking at ways to improve. My responsibilities grow each day and I’ve been given a few projects, like doing a laptop audit and fixes, plus some stock management and asset tagging.

I’ve come so far in my first six months working on the Service Desk in the Technical Infrastructure team. Our team is responsible for taking calls from everyone in the firm who is having hardware or software problems and finding solutions for them. When I think back to my first few weeks, it felt so scary answering the phone. I never quite knew ‘who’ or ‘what’ would be on the other end, and whether I’d be able to help. But with support and training, within a couple of months I’d really picked things up. Now, after six months, I deal with around 15 calls a day and feel comfortable handling a variety of queries.

This apprenticeship is a great way to get hands-on experience and gain a valuable qualification at the same time. As a bonus, lots of the modules come with certification, like Windows 10 and DELL. Achieving my Level 6 won’t be the end of my apprenticeship journey. My aim is to continue with Level 8 next year. I’m very happy on the Service Desk for the moment and love that it’s so customer-focused. Equally, I know that there are loads of options to explore within the different teams – for example Cyber Security.

Only a year ago I was at school and working part-time as a barista. Now I’m on a 3-year apprenticeship and working towards the AAT Level 3 Foundation Certificate. Having completed Highers in English, History, Design & Manufacture, and Business, I knew I wanted to continue learning in an office environment. I like to learn by interacting with people rather than sitting and listening passively. I wouldn’t say you need to be particularly numerate. The confidence and drive to get things done matters more.

I do exams every 3-4 months and am given time out to study every Wednesday afternoon, so I head to one of the quiet spaces in the office. At the moment I’m working on my Bookkeeping and Transactions module and there are sample papers, scenarios and online learning to help me prepare. I have constant support from both my line manager at Baillie Gifford and my external assessor.

I’ve always been interested in how companies make money, spend and invest, so accountancy was an attractive option. My careers advisor was a great help in exploring choices with me and helping me with my CV. I had applied to a few apprenticeships in financial services – Baillie Gifford stood out for its informal and simple application process. The interview was far less scary than I had imagined, and the interviewers really put me at ease. Doing a few mock interviews while at school helped too!

The working environment is great here at Baillie Gifford – everyone is so polite, friendly and inclusive. It’s also lots of fun and the team enjoys quite a bit of socialising! The entire Finance team went on an away-day recently. There was a talk from an inspirational speaker who was a climber, followed by a team-building treasure hunt around Edinburgh. The treasure hunt was a real social highlight for me, and the various challenges were really fun. It was a great way to get to know everyone in such a big department.

I discovered my love of software development while building a website for my mum who runs her own jewellery business. Having mainly studied social science subjects for my Highers, I was pleasantly surprised by how creative you can get with coding! The underlying logic also appealed. It was obvious during the application process that my lack of formal programming knowledge wasn’t a problem – my drive and willingness to learn were enough.

Even though I’m younger than everyone else, I’m not treated any differently to the rest of the team. The office environment might look corporate, but the culture is relaxed and everyone has been so welcoming. I’m in a great learning environment with loads of experienced people around me. And because everything is done in-house, I can get a taste of so many aspects of Information Systems. There’s loads going on socially as well – the recent axe-throwing team event was quite a highlight!

A big chunk of my time is spent getting to grips with the basics. My knowledge is growing every day through a mix of formal training and on-the-job learning and support. We have a task board in the office and if I spot a task that I’m interested in, I can ask to get involved. So my days are quite varied with a fair amount of personal choice.

My apprenticeship involves both written modules and on-campus training. Each on-campus course runs for 1-2 weeks and covers technical training, including Python and web development. The written modules cover the softer skills like customer care and personal effectiveness. I can ask for help from my line manager, mentor or external assessor at any time. Looking ahead, I definitely see myself at Baillie Gifford. The firm’s investment in me today and, I believe, in the future, is enough to make me want to stay!

I’d been studying nursing for a couple of years when I realised it wasn’t the career for me. The change in direction wasn’t an easy decision, so I took some time to consider my options while doing interim work in a customer-service centre. I heard about Baillie Gifford’s new apprenticeships through a friend, so I started looking into the firm and liked the sound of it. As soon as the scheme launched in April, I applied! The process was quick – I had an offer by June and started in August.

I’ve enjoyed the balance of development courses and on-the-job training. There’s a mixture of industry and soft-skills courses. From the industry angle, the introductions to investment management (including equity, investments and bonds) has been incredibly useful. This was balanced with training in things like presentation skills and time management. The on-the-job coaching has been great too. I work within a small team of five, and we’re always on hand to help each other out. The apprentices are also all given buddies, who we can call on at any time.

Baillie Gifford is a Scottish firm established over 100 years ago and wholly owned by partners, which really appealed to me. The partners are dotted throughout the office and sit alongside the teams. It’s great that they have an open-door policy and are so accessible and approachable. In fact, it’s not uncommon to bump into a partner at the coffee machine for a quick chat!

I think if you asked all the apprentices about the attributes you need to join the programme, you’d get quite a range of views. But I feel we’d all say that it’s important to be yourself and let your personality shine through. I think the firm really wants to see your passion and drive. Having spent six months at the firm, I’ve come to appreciate what a diverse bunch we are – people from all sorts of backgrounds, and not necessarily graduates, carving out a career for themselves. It’s inspiring!