Apprenticeships help Brewin Dolphin swim in the fast lane

A programme to attract new talent into the financial services sector has started recruiting for its seventh cohort of students.

Wealth management company Brewin Dolphin teamed up with Gateshead College in 2017 to invest in apprenticeships for the first time, hiring three business administration trainees to work in its business support division.

Since then Brewin Dolphin has taken on apprentices at regular intervals – 24 in total – with ten landing permanent jobs at the firm and a further 13 currently working through their two-year apprenticeship.

Now the firm plans to work with the college to recruit another group of apprentices in the autumn. 

Robert Irving, head of business support Newcastle at Brewin Dolphin Newcastle, says: “We want to cement our strong position in the marketplace by being proactive and working out what skills we need, both now and in a few years’ time. That’s why we’re working with a trusted partner in Gateshead College, to identify any potential skills gaps before they appear and put in place a succession plan for the future. It’s really great to work with a training partner who takes time to understand our business and where we want to take it.”

The apprentices undergo on-the-job training within various departments of Brewin Dolphin’s Newcastle-based business support function, where they gain an overall understanding of the business and develop specific competencies in finance operations, IT, administration and the financial services regulatory environment. They also benefit from a mentoring scheme, where experienced Brewin Dolphin employees assist them through their apprenticeship programme.

Elaine Murray, business development manager at Gateshead College, says: “It’s brilliant to work with a company that really values apprenticeships and understands what they can bring to a business. Apprenticeships work; they reduce recruitment costs and make a business much more agile and competitive. Not only that, they offer fantastic career progression opportunities for ambitious, talented individuals.”

Gateshead College has more than six decades’ experience of delivering high-quality apprenticeship programmes with large companies and SMEs. The college is leading the way in education and skills by providing industry with the skilled workforces it needs now and in the future. 

Brewin Dolphin’s Newcastle office has 300 staff and offers an extensive range of investment management advice spanning portfolio creation, ISAs and other tax-efficient investments, charity and fund management. A qualified and experienced financial planning team also helps clients to plan and manage their long-term financial needs. The company has around 270 staff in its business support division, which sits across three offices in Newcastle, London and Edinburgh.