Sixth form students from schools across Manchester and Stoke recently took part in an Insight day, hosted at AJ Bell’s offices at Exchange Quays in Salford, aimed at raising awareness and interest in the financial services sector
by Anne Chisholm, CISI schools liaison executive
The CISI Manchester Careers in Investment Management Insight Conference, now in its third year, was opened by Andy Bell, chief executive of AJ Bell; and David Gorman, Chartered MCSI, head of research, Castlefield Investment Partnership and president of CISI’s Manchester & District Committee.
AJ Bell’s investment director, Russ Mould, gave an inspirational presentation to the students. Later the students took part in a speed-networking session, where they were face-to-face with practitioners of all ages and levels of seniority from AJ Bell and the Manchester offices of Castlefield Investment Partners; BNY Mellon; Barclays Investment Solutions; Handelsbanken; and Mercer to find out more about specific roles and progression routes. A few of AJ Bell’s new apprentices joined the speed-networking session, some of whom had attended our conference in 2017 as students!
Following a networking lunch, the students all competed as team members for the prize for the most successful team investment strategy in BNY Mellon’s Top Trader game, giving them a taste of dealing in shares and commodities. The day ended with a lively interactive session on ‘How to get the job you really want’, presented by the HR and learning and development teams from AJ Bell.
Students came from The Manchester Grammar School; City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College; Xaverian College; Loreto College; Manchester High School for Girls; Cheadle Hulme High School; Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School; Altrincham Grammar School for Girls; and the Cheadle & Marple College Network. Some of the schools involved are CISI partners, taking CISI school level qualifications alongside A Levels.
For the first time, the ratio of boys to girls was around a 50% split – a great indicator for the future.
As shown by the event evaluation feedback, the students had a fun, interesting and informative day, with 100% saying that they found the event useful, and several students feeling inspired to consider our sector for their future career more seriously.
Some examples of student feedback about the day
“It has helped me understand the wide range of careers and career paths available in financial services and investment management and was also great fun.”
“Made a massive impact on my future career decision.”
“It has changed my mind about my future prospects and I am now thinking about applying for an apprenticeship.”
“Lots of info about real life experience.”
Inspiring futures and developing the next generation of finance professionals
Would your firm like to be involved in promoting our sector, and potentially your firm as a future employer, to students? Do you know a school that might be interested in taking our professional qualifications alongside A Levels?
Please contact the CISI education development team at educationdevelopment@cisi.org or call 020 7645 0714 to find out more.