Modern Apprenticeships.
Learn on the job.

I knew I’d gone as far as I wanted in formal education and this apprenticeship has 100% lived up to my expectations. I was given responsibility early on and within my first month, I was involved in a team project, looking at business continuity planning. It’s been the perfect balance of support and responsibility. The biggest challenge for me was adjusting to slightly longer days (compared with a typical school day), but I’m used to it now and I have no regrets!

My apprenticeship lasted for two years and in the last couple of months, I’ve moved from the Governance team into a Client Administration team. Specifically, I’m part of the North American Funds team, who deal with US based clients. The Client Administration Department is a great place to start your career at Baillie Gifford. There are lots of options for internal career moves within the department or to other areas of the firm, including the option to apply for three-to-six-month secondments to help you understand how the business works.

It’s amazing how much I have learnt and progressed during the apprenticeship. I’ve completed the Investment Operations Certificate and now have a good overview of the industry and its regulatory requirements. There was a lot of on-the-job training and I’m looking forward to more, as I take on a wider range of tasks in my new role. I already have a buddy in my new team who talks me through what her job involves. She then supervises me, while I complete some of the tasks myself.

One of the best experiences I’ve had is training the new apprentices. The fact that I’ve been helping with the new starts shows how much trust Baillie Gifford has in its staff. When the new apprentices first started, they didn’t know much about the role or the business - just like me when I first started. Then you see them getting better and better and it’s a really satisfying experience. There’s a lot to learn and a lot of technical language to understand but there’s tonnes of support to help you get there.

Having studied Computer Science, English, PE and History for my Highers, I decided on the apprenticeship in IT and Telecommunications. After looking through the options at 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.

Since starting my apprenticeship I’ve been working on the Service Desk in the Technical Infrastructure team. Our team is responsible for taking calls from anyone in the firm who has a technical issue or query and finding a solution 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, three years later, I’m a full member of the team, taking responsibility for calls and resolving technical issues across the firm.

It’s great to be in a 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 over the years I’ve been given my own projects to work on, starting with a laptop audit and fixes, to now being responsible for in-house systems such as Signify RSA and iManage, which is used by our Legal team.

Once I finished the apprenticeship and gained my qualification in Information Technology & Telecommunications, I decided to spend a few months working on the Service Desk full time and to consider opportunities for further study. After lots of support and advice from my line manager, I decided on a Graduate Apprenticeship and am now studying for my BSc (Hons) in IT Management for Business at Edinburgh Napier. This involves working on the Service Desk four days a week and then, every Tuesday, I have lectures at university. My previous apprenticeship meant I could jump straight into the second year of the course. I feel very lucky to get this opportunity and Ballie Gifford has really supported me to make it work.

It’s hard to believe that just over two years ago I was at school and working part time as a barista. Now I’m in my third year on this apprenticeship and working towards the AAT Level 4 SQCF Level 6 Advanced Bookkeeping. 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 numerical. The confidence and drive to get things done matters more.

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!

Since joining the apprenticeship I’ve been working towards my AAT accountancy qualifications. I have meetings every six weeks with my apprenticeship coach, and online learning for each exam. Every Wednesday afternoon I take time out of my job to study. I’ve just completed my Level 5 qualification, which is equivalent to a Higher and part of my journey to become a part-qualified Accountant. If I want to continue studying after that, Baillie Gifford will support me to become fully qualified. I’m encouraged to complete the exams, but the firm is very happy for me to work through each stage at a pace that suits me.

When I started the apprenticeship, I was in the Travel & Expenses team and now I work in the Expenditure & VAT team. My tasks include checking invoices, clarifying details and dealing with supplier queries. Now I’ve been here for over two years I can take on more complex tasks. My colleagues are good at encouraging me to take on more responsibility and giving me exposure to new things. The apprenticeship has given me a great insight into how things work in the financial world. When you’re at school, you think finance is just about money flowing in and out, but there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes!

For me, going on to university felt like going back to school, and I wanted to work or go into a trade. I had done a Higher in Accounting and really enjoyed the practical aspects of that. So, I applied for a few different positions, but the apprenticeship at Baillie Gifford really stood out as an opportunity to further myself. From day one, I’ve been treated like a proper member of the team and not talked down to. There’s lots of support and the chance to learn from people who’ve done a similar role before.

As part of the apprenticeship, I’m working towards AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) qualifications. It’s great to know that these qualifications mean I’ll be at the same level as accountancy graduates leaving university. I have a study day on Wednesdays when I complete all my online learning. Each section starts by introducing you to a topic then, if you need more detail, I can refer to the textbooks Baillie Gifford has provided. I can also call an external trainer if I need anything.

I try to go into the office every Tuesday and Thursday. Before starting I’d never been in that kind of environment before, but I love Baillie Gifford’s offices. I’m on one of the top floors and you can see right across Edinburgh. I work in the Finance department within Financial Reporting. This involves reviewing the expenses claims that come through, making sure the payment run is all fine and running transaction reports. I get to deal with lots of people across all the departments and at all levels in the firm.

There’s lots of places I could go at Baillie Gifford and it is in my hands to drive. There are so many different departments where I could progress – Finance, Dealing, Trading or Investments. Everyone working here is happy to talk you through what they’re doing, so you get a good feel for each area of the business. There’s a strong culture of ‘we’re all in this together’ and that makes me want to push myself and achieve more. For people thinking about applying, I’d say you have to be happy to listen to others, to want to learn and never be afraid to ask questions!

After school, there wasn’t a university course that jumped out at me, so I took a year out and worked in a local café. That’s when I discovered the apprenticeship at Baillie Gifford and decided to apply. My interview was in two parts – first I met my current Team Leader and Team Manager who asked me some formal questions about why I wanted the role. After that, I got to meet the team I’d be working with and the current apprentices for a more informal chat. It was great that I’d already met most of the team before I started.

I’m one of two apprentices on this training programme, and we really enjoy working together and bouncing ideas off each other. When we have a task, we’ll always try and work it out together before asking for help. As we’re being trained by previous apprentices who did our role, they really understand what it’s like to be in our position and take time to explain some of the more technical language. Our Modern Apprenticeship will take two years to complete, and we’re also working towards an SQCF Level 6 in providing Financial Services which should take about ten months.

I work in the Governance team within the Client Administration Department. Most of our tasks involve generating reports and data that the Client Administration teams need to do their work. When I first joined, we shadowed the previous apprentices, but now we’re trusted to do the work ourselves. They always check it afterwards, and if something isn’t right, it’ll always be picked up and explained clearly, so you learn quickly. As there’s less daily and weekly tasks on Friday, I put time aside for study. There are seven modules to complete for the SQCF, but most of the qualification is gained on the job.

The culture at Baillie Gifford is super friendly. When we first joined and were working from home, our team members were always messaging us to make sure we were okay. Since I’ve been in the office, people from other teams have come over and introduced themselves. So far, one of the highlights for me has been giving a speech to the entire Client Administration department (CAD) about joining the team. I’ve also helped to organise lunches for everyone in the department to meet the new head of CAD. It’s been busy and fun.

By the end of school, I realised that university wasn’t for me, so I started researching positions in sales and business where I could learn on the job. Unlike some other companies, Baillie Gifford’s application process was simple. I was very nervous before my interview, but the people were so lovely that it felt more like a relaxed conversation. Making the jump between school and work was daunting, but I’ve had loads of support and been able to take things slowly – it’s never felt rushed.

When we first joined, there was a lot of training on professional skills and the firm. We did ten soft skills courses in total, covering topics like communication, how to speak to clients, networking and assertiveness. We also learnt about the company and investment management. It took me a bit longer to fully understand the financial training, but the people here were always happy to sit down with me and explain things. All the apprentices complete the training courses together. There are six of us in the current intake, and we were put in touch with the previous apprentices too.

My daily role involves on-boarding any new banks and brokers that the Trading team work with and generating reports. The team has 15 people in Edinburgh and two in Hong Kong, but we have a morning meeting every day where we get to see everyone. I’ve been assigned two ‘buddies’, who were promoted to Traders last year and have been handing their tasks over to me. I try to make sure I’m in the office when they are, so I can learn as much as possible from them.

Everyone here is so friendly and it’s very social too. We’ve had team nights out and there was a drinks event for the whole company at the National Museum, where I got to meet some of the graduate trainees. In December I attended a Burns Supper and in May the company will have its annual dinner dance.