Personal Touch Financial Services has launched a two-year graduate training programme to be based at its head offices in the West Midlands.
The initial phase of the two-year programme consists of six to eight months of placements in different departments throughout the company.
PTFS says that during this initial phase the graduate employees will learn about the financial services industry, its people and products, as well as the organisation.
The second phase of the programme allows the trainees to put into practice what they have learned and gain real exposure to the financial services regulation and sales processes.
The structure of the programme means that graduates will have the opportunity from the word go to begin ascending the ladder towards becoming a fully-fledged ind-ustry professional, through gaining relevant experience and studying for recognised professional qualifications straightaway.
PTFS human resources manager Rachel Green says: “Rather than imitate numerous other graduate schemes by thrusting our graduates headfirst into an industry and job role for which they are neither experienced nor prepared, the Personal Touch Graduate Programme is structured to help our graduate employees hit the ground running from the start.”
PTFS says that with the growth of the network still expanding year on year, the opportunities available to graduates on completion of the programme are vast and would include head office positions in management or specialist compliance.
Charlotte Gore, a past graduate who joined Personal Touch Financial Services imm-ediately following university and is now head of the company’s employee development, says: “The beauty of working for a company like Personal Touch Financial Services is the constant growth and implementation of new objectives and projects.
“This has meant that my role has evolved hugely since I joined back in 2004.”
Green adds: “PTFS is focused on attracting new talent into the network providing its members with the resources for future growth and development of their businesses.”