Working in this Business and Finance sector open doors to a wide range of jobs, as it covers over 600 different occupations ranging from Office Junior, Personal Assistant, Accountant, Managing Director/Chief Executive to name but a few. There of lots of different working environments for example; You could be a Legal Secretary in a Solicitors, a receptionist at a Leisure Centre, Office Clerk at a hospital, an Accountant for a charity to name but a few.

Leeds is recognised as one of the UK’s largest centres outside of London for financial and business services with over 30 national and International banks. The finance sector is all about money, money, money! Looking after it, investing it, or providing valuable financial information to companies or individuals.

National

• In the UK, there are approximately 5 million people are employed within the Business, Administration, and Finance sectors.
• 400,000 people are employed in Personnel roles.
• Business is the biggest single job area for school and college leavers.

Regional

• 112,000 people in Leeds are employed in the city’s financial and business sector.
• Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and TSB Lloyds banks all have regional offices based in Leeds.
• The financial sector in Yorkshire and Humber employs more than 345,000 people.
• Yorkshire and Humber is home to over 170 Legal Firms.
• Five of the big six Leeds law firms employ over 2,000 people.
• York is home to the head office of UK Life Insurance firm Norwich Union.

• Have excellent communication skills.
• Be able to work as part of a team.
• Be organised and have a methodical approach to working.
• Have good numeracy, literacy and IT skills.
• Have the ability to prioritise your workload.
• Be able to produce and report presentations.
• Have good time management skills.
• Have business awareness.

There are lots of entry routes into this sector, you may choose to go into this area straight from school, do an apprenticeship or go into further education. For some jobs there is no minimum requirement however employers are likely to ask for GCSEs including Maths and English, whichever path you take it’s always good to have some GCSEs behind you. 

Depending on what career path you choose a degree may not always be necessary to succeed. There are numerous assistant and technician roles available that you may be able to start straight after school or college and work your way up. But it is advisable for you to check what subjects will be useful for your career and what standard/level of education is needed.

www.doncasterchoices1419.org.uk
Find out what courses and training is available in your area.

www.nextstep.direct.gov.uk
A general careers website with information on a wide range of careers.

www.regionaltrainingprospectus.co.uk
A guide offering careers and training advice, ranging from helping you choose a college to finding an Apprenticeship in your region.

www.prospects.ac.uk
Aimed at graduates coovering all different work areas

When you left school what route did you take?

I went to Thomas Rotherham College and did my AS and A2 levels. I studied English Language, Psychology, IT and Economics. I then went to Nottingham Trent University to study Law. I decided after my first year that I didn’t want to pursue a career in Law but continued with completing my degree. I decided to look at a career in Banking and HSBC was my first choice. I joined the bank’s graduate scheme in October 2008.

What does your business or organisation do?

Headquartered in London, HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. HSBC’s international network comprises around 8,000 offices in 88 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.

How would you outline your role?

As a Commercial Management Trainee, I get to spend time in various different areas of the bank’s commercial banking operations in the UK. The role is aimed at preparing me for a role at management level within 2 years by moving swiftly around the commercial departments and building up as much experience as possible.

Why did you choose this profession/industry?

During my time at University in Nottingham, I worked one Summer for Capital One in their Nottingham head office. I really enjoyed the job and it sparked my interest in financial services. As my time at University was coming to a close I started to research what options there were for graduates in banking and the graduate management training scheme at HSBC suited what I wanted to do perfectly.

What do you find interesting about your job?

I’ve chosen to go down the Commercial route with HSBC, looking at Business Customers rather than Personal. I love spending time with business customers and finding out about what they do, why they started doing it and what challenges they are facing. Its great when a customer explains a problem they’re facing in the tough climate we’re operating in at the moment – and you’re able to offer them a solution to it!

If you had your time again, what would you do differently?

I would have researched my degree more thoroughly before deciding what subject to take at University. Law was really interesting and I did enjoy it, but in hindsight I would have looked to do something more along the lines of Economics as I find it much more interesting.

What advice would you give to young people who are about to leave school or are considering a job in a similar work area?

If you know what you want to do after school / college / university, speak to someone in that industry and find out what they look for in a potential employee – Choose the subjects that are going to get you into that job! Do whatever you can to make yourself stand out from the crowd because employers are spoilt for choice at the minute – think about what is going to separate you from the competition and how you’re going to communicate that to your potential employers.