The launch of the Financial Services Graduate Programme 2021-2023 took place on the 6th September and after almost two year’s of virtual events, we were delighted to host our 38 new Graduates at the Principality Stadium for the day.
The Programme was hosted by our Managing Director, Sandra Busby and officially launched by Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething, who highlighted its contribution to growth of Wales’ financial sector. He said:
“The programme is successfully supporting young people to unlock their potential by developing the skills and experiences they will need to improve their career prospects, as well retaining and nurturing talent here in Wales.”
The keynote speech was delivered by Admiral Group CEO, Milena Mondini de Focatiis, who praised the programme for giving the financial sector the adaptability, diversity, and inclusion it needs to be resilient post-pandemic.
Since the launch of the Programme in 2013, we have been committed to being inclusive and representative of the diverse communities within South Wales and across the UK. Over the years we’ve worked hard to build close relationships with university careers services, community leaders and influencers, to raise awareness of the Programme and to encourage people of all backgrounds to pursue the opportunities on offer.
This year over 40% of all graduates accepted onto the Programme are female, and 30% of places have been secured by those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
We are delighted to have some of the country’s most desirable employers as part of our consortium including Admiral, Atradius, Amber Energy, Confused.com, Development Bank of Wales, Hodge Bank, Indigo Telecom, Legal & General, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Monmouthshire Building Society, Motonovo, Optimum Credit, Principality Building Society, Propel Finance, sa.global, Skillcert and Vauxhall Finance.
We also heard from Graduate Alumni Lucy Stagg, Joseph Davies and Daniel Currie who spoke to the group about their own experiences on the Programme and how they’ve progressed in their financial services careers because of it.
There was a fantastic energy in the room for the whole of the launch day as Graduates got to know each other and were inspired by all our speakers. As the group settle into their first placement we look forward to supporting their development and watching them grow.