Creating new career pathways through Bloomberg London’s Apprenticeship Program

In 2011, Bloomberg partnered with London Mayor Boris Johnson to help build Team London. Inspired by Cities of Service, a volunteer model established while Mike Bloomberg was Mayor of New York City, Team London connects people through impact volunteering to improve London’s communities.

Team London’s success led to the formation of HeadStart London to address youth unemployment and social segregation in London. This program offers diverse groups of teenagers, aged 16 to 18 years old, opportunities to strengthen their employability through volunteering, professional development workshops and mock interviews.

When these young adults volunteer 16 hours or more, they unlock internships and apprenticeships with HeadStart London’s network of founding corporate partners, including Bloomberg. Since the program’s launch, nearly 3,000 young people volunteered 55,000 hours and 281 gained employment.

This year, Bloomberg established the London Apprenticeship Program to create more opportunities for London students who want to join the workforce or are unsure if they want to attend university. The Apprenticeship Program is a one-year work placement in a Bloomberg department for talented young people involved in our philanthropy partner programs.

Each apprentice works four days a week and spends one day a week in training around IT or business to further their education. The apprentices also have internal and external mentors who help them in their day-to-day jobs throughout their apprenticeship experience.

Meet the five motivated and enthusiastic students of our first Apprenticeship cohort.

Leo Galeone, Global Technology Support (GTEC) Apprentice
Leo wasn’t sure if he was ready for university and the apprenticeship was a good alternative to help him gain experience while he continued his studies at Richmond Adult Community College. He fell in love with the buzzing corporate environment the first time he walked into Bloomberg London.

Through the apprenticeship he has learned technical skills, improved his Italian language abilities, developed an increased sense of professionalism and made tons of new friends. Leo received a permanent job offer in GTEC and is staying at Bloomberg after his apprenticeship.

Megan Young, Philanthropy Apprentice
Megan studied at Newstead Wood School and Sixth Form and was hesitant about attending university because she didn’t really know what to study. So, she applied to the apprenticeship in the hopes she would get exposure to different industries and career ideas.

And that she did. Through the apprenticeship, she developed self-confidence and resilience (especially when handling mistakes) and discovered a career path that interests her. She attributes this to the unique culture and supportive atmosphere at Bloomberg, where apprentices are valued just as much as any other employee. Megan did decide to attend university and will be studying law and business at Portsmouth. She says she would love to work at Bloomberg again.

Neera Senthivel, Global Technology Support (GTEC) Apprentice
Neera attended Woodford County High School for Girls where she developed a passion for IT. She applied for the apprenticeship to develop verbal communication, patience and the ability to manage professional situations. Neera has really enjoyed working on a variety of projects and working alongside university graduates, something she describes as an unforgettable experience.

Neera appreciated how the program exposed her to the corporate world at a young age, teaching her communication and troubleshooting skills that will be useful in any career. She is leaving Bloomberg to study Medicine at University College London and become a doctor.

Cameron Macnamara, Global Data Apprentice
Cameron came from a secondary school in Lewisham called St Dunstans College. In his apprenticeship, he was a Quality Control (QC) analyst on the commodities team monitoring daily data workflow and has worked on projects coding macros in VBA, QC analysis and web scraping.

His time at Bloomberg allowed him to build a professional network not many 19 year old students have. He has gained a lot of tech and data analysis skills, but also leadership and presentation skills from teaching others about the tools he helped create. Cameron is leaving London for the University of Manchester to study Finance and Economics, but hopes to return to Bloomberg for internships.

Cheneil Mullings, Human Resources Apprentice
Cheneil studied at South Thames Sixth Form College in Merton. She wanted to take a gap year as she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, and felt the apprenticeship would provide her with some perspective and meaningful work experience.

The first time she walked into Bloomberg London, Cheneil says she was captivated by how diverse and multicultural the company was. She feels that the apprenticeship helped her become more mature and improved her communication skills. Cheneil is studying at university after her apprenticeship and said she loves the company culture at Bloomberg.

The Bloomberg London Apprentice Program helped these five young adults explore the workplace, develop professional skills and figure out their career path. Due to this year’s success, Bloomberg plans to increase enrollment to 10 students in the 2016-17 season.

Read more about our youth outreach efforts in the UK including a recent student discussion with US Ambassador to the UK on global issues and celebration of our first year of Bloomberg Startup in London.