Increasing accessibility will encourage young people to join financial services

Abdur told FT Adviser there has been a perception that for roles in financial services you have to be “experienced" and also of a certain age.

This is a perception that Abdur himself shared before entering the industry.

“I thought I would never get into the financial industry because I’m not yet 45 years old and I did not have X amount of experience”.

But he said there are lenders that will give younger people the opportunity “if you’re the right person” and, as a result, suggested the industry should run “a lot more apprenticeship schemes”.

“A school or college leaver could not want to go to university but they could bypass that by either having an apprenticeship or a skilled work role where they give you training on the job,” he explained.

Career journey

Abdur himself had a rather unique entry into the financial services industry, a journey which began after he was made redundant.

He recounted that, following the loss of his job, he was approached by the CEO of Fleet Mortgages in his uncle’s restaurant and, after chatting for a bit, was encouraged to come into the firm and speak with one of the managers.

“It was literally like that,” he said. 

“I’m thankful for Fleet Mortgages for giving me that opportunity. They will always be very close to my heart,” he added.

Following this unorthodox recruitment, Abdur made his transition into the financial services industry.

But he confessed initially he considered this transition to be a temporary one.

“When I joined I had an idea in the back of my mind of ‘I’ll give it a go for about six months to a year until another opportunity comes along’ but I enjoyed it so much that I’ve never looked back.”

Abdur explained he had a change of heart, something that was motivated by the opportunities available within the financial services industry and the knowledge gained through his work.

“I was learning new things, it was a totally different horizon for me to achieve and I thought  'wow, there are so many opportunities out there'.

“One day I could become a sales manager and progress my career that way, without having to worry about job security because if you're working for a lender the job is more secure. 

“Since I’ve started working for a specialist lender I can climb that ladder and now work for a mainstream household name like these building societies.” 

Issues

Adbur discussed the big issues affecting the industry today from his perspective, specifically identifying the shortage of housing.

“If you look at the shortfall in the housing industry there is a massive shortage of first time properties for first time buyers,” he explained.

“It’s become very difficult at the moment in the financial sector and there are not enough properties out there.”

While he spoke on the progress that Leeds Building Society has made in this issue, having assisted 50,000 people to get onto the property ladder last year, he acknowledged the biggest assistance would ultimately come from the government.

Diversity

Abdur highlighted efforts that have been made in his current place of work to increase awareness and appreciation of diversity.

He explained Leeds Building Society holds “culture days” in which people from minority backgrounds are able to celebrate their backgrounds, while also helping to educate other workers.

“For example, I’m a Muslim, and we will celebrate Ramadan and Eid and, if someone is Hindu, they will celebrate Diwali,” he said.

He recounted how this had been able to help educate those around him.

"My manager didn't know what Ramadan was or what Muslims do to celebrate it."

He added: "It makes me proud in a certain way that I can educate people and they're willing to listen to me about my Muslim background."

tom.dunstan@ft.com

If you would like to be featured in our New Voices series, or you know someone who would be a good fit please get in touch with Tom Dunstan at tom.dunstan@ft.com