We caught up with Alyson Regan, winner of the Chartered Banker Institute’s (CBI) Sir Bruce Pattullo Prize, 2023. She recently completed her studies on the Financial Services Professional Apprenticeship Level 6 while working at Lloyds Banking Group. Alyson spoke about her career history, experience studying via an apprenticeship, and advice for others in the banking industry.
Can you talk about your career and how you got into banking?
My career originally started with my first job at 17 at the Royal Bank of Scotland. I was working in mortgages while studying at university for my business management degree, and then I applied to the Lloyds Banking Group Level 6 apprenticeship.
I came into the Business and Commercial Banking (BCB) side of Lloyds, working in Asset Finance Delivery in the operations function for the first year and then onto Product. The apprenticeship allowed me to rotate across different functions of the Asset Finance business which was great.
Did you always want to go into banking?
From my first job at RBS, I knew I was interested in going into the financial sector, but it wasn’t until moving to Lloyds Banking Group that I realised that I liked working within the business side of the bank and supporting businesses. It was a really interesting function, but I do think banking is something I’ve always been interested in.
How would you compare university to an apprenticeship?
It’s very different. At university, your degree is usually your main focus. You might have a part-time job or have other priorities, but with an apprenticeship, you’re learning while working a full-time job.
With an apprenticeship, you’re learning a new role in a great job where you can get so much experience and relate this to your studies. It felt like everything I was doing in my job role and studies were linked.
Studying for my degree at university allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge about businesses and the financial sector, however, I lacked the opportunity to apply this into practice. Whereas, through my apprenticeship and working at LBG, I directly applied my knowledge to my day-to-day role while continuing to enhance my awareness of the banking sector, commercial business, and customers we support. My day-to-day role comes with the challenges of juggling both studying and working, but strengthening your self-discipline skills helps with that.
How did it feel to win the Sir Bruce Pattullo prize?
It was such a surprise! It was a lovely email to receive when I was told that I won it but, again, it comes back to the hard work and determination you put into your studies. It was amazing to step back and realise what I had achieved, especially as it was challenging at points.
The Chartered Bankers Institute (CBI) awards the Sir Bruce Pattullo prize to the student who scores the highest overall mark in modules in their Advanced Diploma in Banking and Leadership in a Digital Age studies.
What challenges did you encounter?
I would say the biggest challenge was trying to balance studying with trying to understand a new role, especially as I rotated around the business. However, it was an incredible experience to get so much knowledge from individual teams and piece it all together. It was a challenge to manage it all, but if you make a note of your deadlines and you know what’s coming up then you can certainly juggle both - it’s completely doable.
It’s important to be disciplined and make sure that you take time when needed to get the qualification done, give it your all and make sure you don’t let your studies slip. I think people often focus too much on their role that they forget how much there is to learn from the qualification that can then be applied to the job.
“Although it may be challenging when deadlines are approaching, just make sure you’re managing your time well and being disciplined with it.”
When you’re so focused on the day-to-day, you can forget how much work you put into it. For me, I’m a very organised person and I have a tracker for everything, but it’s important to be strict when adhering to deadlines.
Also, take up on any offers of support from your tutors, employer, etc. Everyone in Lloyds Banking Group was incredibly understanding about both my studies and workload, and they would make sure they were supportive of that.
Could you tell us more about how Lloyds Banking Group has supported you?
Everyone in Lloyds has been so supportive - I’ve been incredibly lucky to be treated as a member of the team and not just an apprentice. But that’s also always going to come with additional challenges as I have my own work deadlines and commitments, especially in such a fast-paced industry. But it’s just having that conversation with people when you need to take some time to study - and everyone at Lloyds truly wanted me to succeed.
If I ever require additional support, I can go to people in the team with questions and it never feels like a silly question. Reaching out for help when needed is the only way you’ll get a good understanding of something - so it’s important not to be reluctant to do this.
I think it helps that I was in a function where our Managing Director was also a graduate so he fully supports emerging talent. It’s always been a priority for Lloyds to invest in talent, as it’s also a key opportunity for growth in the future.
I’m also lucky to have a supportive line manager who remained aware of my studies and would ensure that I was taking my time and prioritising my learning. As well as this, my studies could lead to questions in areas such as legislation, risk management or financial ratios and a lot of my team are experts in those fields - so, working with them and reaching out for support and guidance has been great.
How has the support been from Kaplan?
Again, Kaplan has been great. I would specifically say my tutor during my final project was invaluable. I wanted to complete the project quicker than the usual timeframe, and they were fully on board with that. I was made to feel like a priority, and my tutor helped me complete my proposal and supported me throughout the final project.
“The tutors are there to support you and they understand if you have any concerns because they’ve helped so many people get through the qualification.”
Has an apprenticeship been what you expected?
It surpassed my expectations in terms of the knowledge and expertise that I gained. I always knew that I was going to get my qualifications while working, so it was always going to be a learning journey. People say that when you come out of university, the learning stops, but it doesn’t and it shouldn’t.
It was possibly more difficult than I had expected, in terms of the time spent studying, but the benefits also passed my expectations in terms of how much an apprenticeship could help my career and how quickly I would progress in the company.
Although it was challenging at times, it was also more enjoyable compared to my university degree at times. Everything I was learning related to something I was interested in so it felt meaningful right from the start.
Are there any transferable skills that you've noticed that you've gained?
A big one that comes to mind is my teamwork skills. One example I’d highlight is, from the moment I began my apprenticeship I was placed into a group. Each group would work together to complete an assessment, so this automatically helped me work on my teamwork skills.
I was immediately made aware that there are so many people across the country working at the business, which brings so many different skill sets and backgrounds. Some people worked in the retail side of the bank and others in commercial, for example - so a range of personalities and expertise would all come together.
“Throughout all stages of your career, you must dedicate time to your learning and development. Commit time and make it a non-negotiable.”
Aside from working in different departments of the bank, we were all studying yet at different stages in our careers. Some apprentices were new to the bank, and many others had worked in banking for years but chose to start an apprenticeship further down the line. This all helped to give me some perspective.
Going forward, I always make sure that I take on everybody’s thoughts, views, and feedback when working in a team, as I know that diverse viewpoints lead to the best solutions.
Did being an apprentice allow you to network with others?
At Lloyds, my apprenticeship gave me great networking opportunities. Especially as I rotated across the functions, I did see a lot of the business. But in general, I met many different people from different backgrounds, locations, and key hubs.
This is another thing that apprentices should consider - you need to take these opportunities and run with them. While you’re learning, networking helps you strengthen your knowledge in general but also helps you find more about ongoing projects or products in the business. It’s so good to work with other people and gain that insight and exposure. You’re responsible for your own career and learning journey, therefore it’s important to take these opportunities.
What were your top three study tips for anyone studying?
1. Have a clear plan
Organisation is important. I’m the type of person who loves a tracker and to stay on top of everything. I always knew what was due, and what exactly I needed to do to reach my targets, so having a clear plan is my biggest advice to anyone.
2. Stay disciplined
Even if this means that you have to work all day and study in the evenings, just get yourself into that mindset. I know that with my apprenticeship, I would need to study during working hours for around seven hours a week. So, just make sure you take that time because it’s beneficial and will help you in the long run.
3. Have fun with it
Understand that everything you’re learning and doing at work has a place, and it will all benefit you in your career. While it can feel like you’re digesting a lot of information, it will only help you in the future. But make sure you enjoy it.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?
Definitely. I’ve had conversations with many people who are interested in working in the banking industry or just want to get a professional qualification in this area, and I would 100% recommend it.
From my own experience at Lloyds, everyone that I’ve met, no matter how senior they are, has wanted to dedicate time to me because they’re so invested in our development. You gain so much exposure to the industry, and I would argue that I would never have gotten the same level of knowledge and experience if I had just worked in the role alone.
“I’d recommend an apprenticeship to everybody.”
What are your plans for the future?
I’m currently in an incredibly great role as I work within an Executive Office within the Business and Commercial Bank. In the future, I think I’d be interested in going back into a product-focused role.
I also want to keep on learning. I’m very lucky to be working in a function that offers dedicated learning time. I’ve currently been taking modules on data and technology, as learning is just something that you can’t give up on.
Lloyds is a bank for the future, so we need to evolve and to do that we need to learn. There’s always going to be new insights, new data, AI, etc. so to get that knowledge and learning under your belt is so important. I’ll probably keep learning until I retire.
I’d also emphasise for anyone who’s already in the banking industry but would now like to get a professional qualification, there’s still time to do that. You don’t need to be new to an industry to progress or learn.