The first cohort of Danske Bank’s Danske Futures apprenticeship programme have graduated, and the bank has begun the search for new recruits to its degree-led apprenticeship programme for 2022.
First launched in 2018, Danske Futures is a fully funded, three-year higher-level apprenticeship programme for students who have completed their A- Levels.
Run in partnership with Ulster University, the programme offers school leavers the opportunity to take up a permanent role with Danske Bank in locations across NI, while studying for a degree.
From that first intake, eight apprentices have now finished their studies and graduated from the programme, with all now in permanent roles across the bank in various business units.
Danske Bank intends to hire 20 apprentices in this latest intake, all of whom will study to obtain a BSc Hons degree in Leading on Customer Operations while gaining experience of working in Danske’s Personal Banking and Operations teams.
RELATED: Barclay Communications launches apprenticeship programme aimed at NI school leavers
Graduates from Danske Futures benefit from a range of development opportunities, support from colleagues and progression through a clear career path.
The deadline for applications for this year’s intake is 29 July, and details of how to apply can be found on Danske Bank’s website.
Clark Barnes, who joined the Danske Futures programme in 2018 and is now a Senior Project Analyst in the bank’s Commercial Development unit said: “When I applied to the Danske Futures Apprenticeship programme, I had just finished school and I was at a bit of a loss at what I wanted to do next. I knew I wanted to continue my studies, but I was also really keen to start working. After some research on apprenticeships, I thought they might be the way for me, and when I found the Danske Futures programme, it sounded like exactly the kind of programme I was looking for.”
RELATED: New apprenticeship scheme rolls out across the province within NI Civil Service
They continued: “It’s hard to believe that I’ve finished the programme now. I feel like a different person from the one that applied all those years ago. My knowledge, skills and confidence have all grown massively, and I firmly believe the combination of university studying, learning while I worked and bringing my studies to my role have all helped me grow massively. The support I had from my team in Danske was invaluable, and I firmly believe that I’ve learnt and experienced things I never would have been able to if I’d exclusively studied at university.”
Ruth Mercer, Programme Director at Ulster University added: “The BSc (Hons) ‘Leading on Customer Operations’ delivers organisational performance and interpersonal excellence through a focus on business insight, technology adoption and human centred design. This degree combined with real world experience, provides graduates with a valuable advantage in today’s customer operations environment and offers an exciting, dynamic career opportunity in an ever-evolving financial sector.”
Source: Written from press release
