UnemployedNet supports The Mirror's Get Britain Working campaign, which wants to support Britain's unemployed back in to work.
The campaign has moved on to the world of finance, still a huge employer in Britain despite the financial downturn.
Finance provides more than one million jobs in this country, at a range of levels and suitable for people with a variety of education and training.
Having lost over 100,000 jobs during the downturn the sector is now recruiting again. If you don't have the right skills the article gives advice on apprenticeships that could help you get your foot on the ladder.
'AS we continue our campaign to Get Britain Working, we have found 20,031 jobs in the vast world of banking and finance.
And at last, there seems to be some good news for a sector which has been slashed by recession.
“There has been steady growth in the financial and accountancy market, which is a good sign of money being invested in new staff,” says Tony Vickers, of Balance Recruitment and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
“It’s still early days but there are definitely some green shoots of recovery in the sector.”
Even if you’ve never worked in the industry, there are great chances to get on the first rung of the ladder.
“New entrants to the market can either look into apprenticeships or speak to a specialist recruiter who will help them with targeted research and aspirations.”
Visit www.rec.uk.com/jobseeker to find a specialist recruiter.
WORKER'S VIEW
Teenager Asim Hussain was struggling to get an interview, let alone a job, when he left school.
“I was so shy and nervous the whole process of finding work was terrifying,” says Asim, 19, from Bradford, who tried A-levels but found they weren’t for him.
His strengths at school had been business and ICT which made him consider a career in banking.
“I kept applying and it led to nothing. Over a period of about six months, I had a couple of interviews but bottled them – I was too nervous to speak.”
Finally, Asim spotted an opportunity with a training provider in London specialising in boosting employability skills.
“I decided I had nothing to lose,” he says. “I was struggling to speak to people, I was so shy.
"But gradually, I came out of myself as I went through practise interviews. I realised where I was going wrong and started to grow in confidence.”
With his trainers’ help, he applied for an apprenticeship at Barclays and felt on top of the interview process. “Just that simple training had made all the difference,” he says.
The day Asim was told he had an apprenticeship as a mortgage adviser at Barclays in Leeds was one of the best in his life.
He says: “It feels wonderful to be able to help people and to finally feel I’m on the right track.”
WHERE ARE THE JOBS?
High street giants including Barclays and HSBC are looking for apprentices.
Barclays is recruiting across England and Wales and wants 1,000 by the middle of next year. Register at http://jobs.barclays.co.uk/apprenticeships or call the Barclays Apprenticeship recruitment line on 03332 409 719.
HSBC is also taking on 688 apprentices. Apply at http://jobs.hsbc.co.uk/apprentices/apprentice-programme.aspx.
Jobcentre Plus at www.gov.uk/jobsearch has 9,257 related jobs ranging from 482 economists to 2,875 clerks.
Jobs on offer include a personal banking adviser for Lloyds TSB in Newmarket (from £6.19 per hour if aged over 21) and a banking adviser in Peterborough (from £6.19).
At www.fish4jobs.co.uk there are 268 jobs ranging from an insurance claims handler in Shrewsbury (up to £16,000) to a business banker in Coventry (from £15,215).
At www.bankingjobsuk.co.uk there are 704 retail banking jobs and 632 finance jobs, including a bank assistant at M&S bank in central London (£23,000) and a general insurance pricing consultant in Manchester (from £29,200).
At www.reed.co.uk we found 1,193 banking jobs and a further 6,832 in financial services.
These include a branch manager at The West Brom in the West Midlands (£20,000), a customer relations adviser in Wavertree, Merseyside (£11 an hour) and a savings and service advisor in Northampton (from £14,500).
Meanwhile, www.hays.co.uk has 89 retail banking jobs, including a customer adviser role in Macclesfield (£16,000-£18,200).
PAY
Starting salaries for banking service advisers are between £12,000 to £18,000 a year. With experience and supervisory responsibilities, this can rise to between £18,000 and £30,000. Bonuses and commissions for meeting sales targets can increase earnings. Other benefits can include subsidised mortgages, loans, pensions, shares and insurance.
TRAINING
Many employers have in-house training schemes to cover subjects such as service standards, product knowledge, company procedures and regulatory guidelines.
You may have the chance to work towards a work-based qualification, such as Level 2 and 3 awards and certificates in providing financial services, Institute of Financial Services Level 3 certificate in retail banking conduct of business (CertRBCB), Institute of Financial Services Level 3 certificate in regulated customer care (CeRCC), and Chartered Banker Institute professional banker certificate and diploma qualification.
Find out more by visiting http://institute.ifslearning.ac.uk and www.charteredbanker.com
As part of an apprenticeship (www.apprenticeships.org.uk) you can do NVQs in customer service, contact centre operations and contact centre professionals.'
Via The Mirror