My Pension Expert, an independent financial advice service specialising in retirement, has launched an initiative to help attract young people into careers in financial services.
The retirement specialist has introduced a talent pathway programme, called ‘My Academy’, which will offer access to career-building opportunities such as graduate opportunities, apprenticeships, internships and further education courses.
Working in partnership with Doncaster College, the training programme includes entryways to help young people carve out a career in the financial services industry, as well as ongoing professional development courses for existing employees.
My Pension Expert HR director, Bernie Dunlop hopes by providing work experience, placements, internships and mentoring opportunities that those who may not have been able to take on unpaid placements will now have access to the necessary experience to enter a professional role.
“Steps have been taken to make financial services more inclusive in recent years. But significant issues with diversity and equal opportunities remain. We believe that we can work to overcome some of these issues locally by providing access to apprenticeships and professional qualifications in a mix of specialisms,” Dunlop said.
The firm’s chief executive, Andrew Megson said the initiative comes from the firm’s passion about education and development.
“My Academy is a brilliant initiative that offers access to education and experience for individuals at any stage in their career journey, helping them maximise their talents. It’s a really exciting initiative and I cannot wait to see it help brilliant people to enter and work their way up our organisation,” Megson said.
The programme will span a wide range of business functions in departments such as financial advice, accountancy, management, marketing, and data science.
jane.matthews@ft.com
