Students given boost to enter financial sector
Two business students from Barking & Dagenham College (@BarkingCollege) have been given the opportunity to study, for free, on a two-year programme which will see them get work experience at top financial companies, gain a professional qualification and be ready to apply for jobs in the finance industry when leaving college.
Izabela Ragea and Dan Manolache, both 17 from Dagenham, were chosen after a series of interviews and short listings. They are the first students from the College to be given the chance to study and gain the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) Fundamentals of Financial Services qualification for free.
The opportunity is thanks to a partnership between the College, the City of London Corporation and CISI, which is helping students gain opportunities they might not normally have.
The course, backed by the banking regulator, the FCA, is a professional qualification that anyone working in the financial services industry must have. The opportunity to gain it, and for free, while they are studying at College, will be a great boost to the students.
As Uzma Mukhtar, Business Lecturer & Course Leader at the College explains:
“This is such a fantastic opportunity. This is a qualification that opens the doors for entry level jobs in investment banking, asset management and financial institutions on sales & trading of stocks, securities, bonds, FX and so on. To be able leave college with their business qualification and this additional professional qualification on their CVs means they will stand out when applying for their first jobs in the sector.”
As a two-year course, this year will see Izabela and Dan studying towards an exam. Then in their second year the students will be provided with internships and work placements within the finance industry. This could see them being placed in companies such as investment bank UBS, global asset and wealth management company Schroders and leading international bank, Standard Chartered.
Izabela said: “I’m really thankful to the College. This is giving me the chance to follow the career path I’ve always wanted and is going to increase my possibilities of working in the financial services. It’s a really interesting course and I’m very happy to be part of it.”
Dan added: “This is a great experience and I’m happy I’ve been given the opportunity. I would like to get into banking when I’ve finished the course and this will help.”
Uzma adds: “I’m really proud of Izabela and Dan. They are excellent students who have always shown eagerness to succeed in their studies. They are enjoying their work and I’m sure they will do well on this course too.”
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