Pathways to Banking & Finance

What will I learn?

Career Support

Insight Events

At insight events, you will get to hear from a panel of employers/a single employer about what it’s like to work in the field, what the different departments do, what the different jobs are, and what different companies look like. You’ll walk away with an in-depth knowledge of what kinds of jobs you are most interested in and what they will look like day-to-day.

Employability Skill Workshops

Throughout the programme, you will take part in skills workshops with university staff and career professionals teaching you various employability skills specific to Banking and Finance, such as negotiating and presenting.

Work Experience

“My placement provided me with a better understanding of the industry, heightened my interest in banking and will definitely be written about in my personal statement.” – Oyin Ireland, 2023 Pathways to Banking and Finance alum

Our work placements can take place in-person, hybrid or virtually and be between 3 and 5 days long. They’ll provide you with the opportunity to get a flavour of the day-to-day activities, projects and workloads that make up a career in finance and gain the employability skills that will help you gain access to Banking and Finance when you graduate.

The types of things you could get involved with include:

Work shadowing (sit in on meetings, hear about the ins and outs of projects, and witness first-hand the day-to-day of your future career)
Tour of the office
Networking events
Group presentations and projects
Q&A’s with employees
Employability skill workshops (e.g. CV writing, negotiating skills, etc.)

Higher Education Access

University Taster Sessions

You will be able to tour your university (for online programmes there will be online sessions with several of our prestigious university partners), attend university Q&A sessions, make connections with university admissions staff and professors, and take part in exclusive tester lectures in your chosen subject.

Undergraduate Mentor

Throughout your programme, you will be able to talk to current undergraduates and Alumni who can provide guidance where needed on anything and everything to do with university applications, life at university, and studying at university.

Sutton Trust Online

Sutton Trust Online is our digital platform providing support to students on their journey to university or an apprenticeship. Alongside your core Pathways programme you will also have access to STO. Here you will be guided through all the information, skills and advice you need as you explore, apply, prepare and succeed at university or an apprenticeship.

Soft Skills Training

Conference

The residential conference is held at the University of Warwick and gives you the chance to live and learn in a university environment. Staying overnight in student halls, you’ll meet university students and industry professionals from across the country and receive expert guidance on studying, apprenticeships, and careers in Banking & Finance.

The conference is an optional extra but it will provide you with deep insights into the world of Banking & Finance. A few examples of the types of activities you could take part in are:

A taster lecture from a university professor
A Q&A panel session with industry professionals from similar backgrounds to your own
An interactive spotlight session led by top professionals from the industry (e.g. Bank of England, NatWest) which gives an overview or insight into a particular area of the sector.
Workshops, including:
- Public speaking to increase your skills and confidence
- A trading game to give you a taste of the fast-paced world of trading stocks and shares
Social activities with other students from across the country (optional), such as karaoke, sports, pool, a barbecue, and a quiz
Networking with industry professionals, university staff and undergraduates

Programme benefits

Application Support

Pathways will provide expert and personalised support throughout the university and apprenticeship application process, with:

A personal statement mentor and apprenticeship application workshops
University and Apprenticeship Q&A sessions
Curated resources on how to write the best application
Lots of information on bursaries, scholarships, and financial aid

Find my nearest programme

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Hear from our students

Having the opportunity to speak to someone so senior in the industry was great as at that point I realised that bankers are just ordinary people. Furthermore, by taking time out of his day to speak to us it showed me that senior professionals in industry care about my progress and mobility.

Anthony, London, Pathways to Banking and Finance 2018 - LSE

I wasn’t aware that there would be so many networking occasions and have gained so much invaluable advice from the professionals. Hearing about their journeys into banking and finance has been incredibly inspiring and has given me more confidence into pursuing a career in the sector regardless of my background.

Pathways to Banking and Finance alum 2017 - University of Warwick

Throughout the programme the online mentoring has been very supportive, as they answer all questions and support me with my university application, which has improved my confidence in applying to university and pursuing a career in finance.

Umut, London, Pathways to Banking and Finance 2019 - LSE

When I applied, I had simply hoped to gain access to more exposure to the world of Banking and Finance. In reality, I gained not only what I expected, but also countless work experience opportunities including a few days at Deutsche Bank, relationships with a network of Finance professionals, valuable information about higher education and university life, and the confidence and motivation to pursue a career within the sector.

Pathways to Banking and Finance alum 2017 - University of Warwick