Danske wants A-level students for degree apprenticeship

  • As thousands of young people prepare to receive their A-level results this Thursday (15 August) Danske Bank is encouraging young people to consider a lesser-known pathway for the next stage of their education.

    The bank is currently inviting applications to its fully funded degree apprenticeship programme, Danske Futures. Successful applicants will be appointed to a paid role within Danske’s Personal Banking and Small Business team, or their Operations team, in locations across Northern Ireland. They will simultaneously study part-time for a fully funded BSc Hons degree in Managing the Customer Contact, which has been developed specifically for this programme in partnership with Ulster University.

    Applications must be in on or before 27 August 2019. Further information and details of how to apply can be found here.

    Adam Warden from Bangor left school in 2017 and successfully applied to the programme when it first launched in 2018. He now works in Danske’s customer contact centre, and says he always knew he wanted a career in financial services: “The opportunities we’ve been given and the mentorship that we have received from the beginning has just been incredible. There is also a real sense of community between the apprentices, regularly meeting up and sharing what we’re doing in our various roles. We receive great support from colleagues, mentoring and access to senior management, and there are lots of possibilities to get involved in the bank’s community programmes. I would recommend the programme to anyone.”

    Caroline van der Feltz, HR Director at Danske Bank added: “Compared to other UK regions, Northern Ireland has the highest number of school leavers moving on to university. While that is seen as the traditional path, there are other options. By enabling students to earn money and gain crucial work experience while studying for a fully-funded degree and earning a salary, Danske Futures provides a fantastic opportunity for bright and ambitious young people to get ahead in their career, differentiate themselves when they graduate and finish their education without the burden of a heavy debt.”

    Timothy Moruzzi is Programme Director and Apprenticeship Lead at Ulster University, and said: “The BSc in Managing the Customer Contact is a market-leading course, and as far as we know it’s the only higher education programme of its kind in the world. The partnership with Danske Bank will see students have the opportunity to put their learning into practice day-to-day in an industry leading organisation.”

    With less than three weeks left to until the closing date, Caroline van der Feltz encourages "anyone who is seeking an alternative route to employment to find out more and consider applying."

    Source: Written from press release
    Photo: Adam Warden, Danske Futures Apprentice 2018

    About the author

    Niamh is a Sync NI writer with a previous background of working in FinTech and financial crime. She has a special interest in sports and emerging technologies. To connect with Niamh, feel free to send her an email or connect on Twitter.

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