Apprenticeships at Bloomberg offer experience, autonomy, and growth

Eileen Gbagbo joined Bloomberg in September 2020 as an apprentice in the London newsroom, and has since completed the program, now based in Dubai working as an Associate Producer for Bloomberg TV.

“To anyone thinking of applying to do an apprenticeship, I would say “go for it”. They are a great way for young people to enter the market, in particular if you are trying to get into an industry like media or financial services which are not always easy to access. At Bloomberg everyone is willing to help and support you and you have access to so much niche knowledge. It’s a really supportive and open culture.”

Harry Sam Lyons works in the Network Operations team and was one of the first apprentices to join Bloomberg. He completed his first Level 3 apprenticeship as an Infrastructure Technician and is now close to completing his Level 4 network engineering apprenticeship.

“From my first day, I felt so welcome at Bloomberg. Everyone is so friendly and you’re treated like a full-time employee as soon as you get here. This isn’t the kind of apprenticeship where you’re making tea or just helping out. You’re given proper work and ownership of your tasks. There is also a lot of understanding and support from your managers about the studying requirements, while still ensuring you get your work done. One of the things that surprised me about the apprenticeship was how much time people have to help you. They take time to show you how to do things, and you’re trusted to get involved with the work directly.”

Batul Alimohamed is currently an apprentice working in the Customer Account Management Support (CAMS) team, which supports Sales from an operational and project management perspective, while also studying for a Level 6 degree apprenticeship in Finance and Investment. 

“I joined Bloomberg directly after completing my first year at university. I was attracted by the apprenticeship as I knew I still wanted a degree while also working. I admired the company culture and the program’s structure with degree modules linked to the work we will do in Analytics. From day one I was treated like a full time employee, and trained in that way. At the same time, my TL and colleagues understand I’m studying too, and there is a lot of support around balancing work and school. I already feel like a valued member of my team, who have been great to work with and make coming into the office an enjoyable experience.”

Precious Nganwuchu is a Team Leader for EMEA Vault Sell-Side Enterprise Services. She joined Bloomberg as a Data Analyst Level 4 apprentice in 2018 and completed her course in 2020. 

“University wasn’t really for me, I preferred to be in a working environment where I could learn on the job. I was very keen to get into the corporate world and Bloomberg was particularly attractive because of its global presence and the commitment the company makes into the wider community through its philanthropy. Alongside all that, I found the way Bloomberg innovates in data, in the electronic trading and regulatory world really exciting. 

As an apprentice there is a lot to learn – not just about your job, but also about stepping out of your comfort zone. I’ve met so many amazing people that I wouldn’t have otherwise met and I have been exposed to many different cultures and clients from around the world.”

Issy Loftus has completed two apprenticeships at Bloomberg since 2019: a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship and a Level 5 HR Consultant/Partner apprenticeship.

“When I first entered the Bloomberg office, I fell in love with the place and the people. Throughout both my apprenticeships, I always felt fully supported. I could work and learn, with understanding that I was an apprentice and had studying requirements. What’s been great about being an apprentice is that I’ve managed to sit with different departments to fully understand what Bloomberg does. There are so many different career opportunities an apprenticeship can bring.”

Ed Laver is Global Head of Sell-Side Enterprise Services and advocates for the recruitment and progression of apprentices across the organization. 

“The Enterprise Services team in London has and will continue to be active supporters and sponsors of apprenticeships in the UK. Alumni from previous cohorts now sit across multiple teams, including one in a leadership role. This has enabled our group to have a constant influx and pipeline of differing views and perspectives that enrich our collective culture. We will continue to iterate the experience for the apprentices so they have as rounded an understanding of the entire service business. This is a luxury only afforded to the apprentices who, while completing the program, will build a broad and solid foundation of product awareness to benefit them and the organization as a whole in the longer term.”

Angad Sethi is a Sell-Side apprentice, working in the Enterprise Technology Services team and studying for a Level 4 software engineering apprenticeship. 

“I studied IT and computer science for GCSE and A-Level and then went to university for a year. However, I much prefer learning while working, so I did some research and discovered an apprenticeship would be a great route for what I wanted to achieve. I support our clients with their technical queries, and as part of my role I do coding using Python and JavaScript. Bloomberg is a great place to do an apprenticeship because everyone is so accommodating. From the first day, everyone was really understanding that you are studying and learning, and you’re treated like any other full-time member of the team. As time goes on, you’re given more responsibility, and you’re trusted to take on things like client meetings as well as having lots of opportunities to shadow other teams and build up your portfolio.”

Herman Douglas is an EMEA Service Delivery Manager. His team currently has five apprentices. 

“Having apprentices in our team has brought a fresh perspective, they ask questions we might not have previously thought of and through their integration, together we can look at things differently. Our apprentices complete their four years across Enterprise Data Support, Implementation, Data Content, Solution Engineering and Technical Account Management before moving into more permanent positions. The addition of apprentices has enabled us to develop new leaders in our team. Our top individual contributors have taken on junior supervisory roles providing on the job experience and guidance for the apprentices as they continue their journey with us. To anyone thinking about recruiting apprentices I would say don’t wait. We all have to build for the future and as a manager and apprentice, you are set up to succeed so just go for it.”

Linn O’Connor, Global Head of Securities Data and London Office Head of Data, has been driving the expansion of the apprenticeship program across Bloomberg’s Data department in London. 

“Apprenticeships are a great way to bring diversity of talent, experience, perspectives and social backgrounds into our organization. By hiring apprentices, we are also looking to the future by developing talent through a program of learning with a long-term vision to convert apprentices to full time employees on completion of their qualifications.”