Financial Services
Londoners considering a New Year career move into the financial services industry can be cautiously optimistic. Despite the difficulties of last year, London remains at the heart of the sector for most of the world’s premier financial institutions and there are signs, too, that recruitment is picking up.
The impact of the financial crisis and increased calls for professionalism in banking, however, means that relevant professional qualifications are now more critical than ever before and can make a big difference to employment prospects. Martin Day is Vice Principal at specialist financial education body the ifs School of Finance. “Having a specialist qualification that provides a thorough understanding of the financial services sector obviously makes candidates more appealing to potential employers,” he says.
The ifs School of Finance has longstanding links with the financial services industry and an educational heritage spanning over 130 years. At the start of 2010 it became the first education provider specifically focused on financial services to be granted the power to award its own taught degrees, demonstrating the quality, rigour and relevance of its professional academic qualifications.
With a new student campus at the centre of the City, the organisation has since expanded into other financial disciplines and now has over 60,000 students studying on its various programmes across the world. “Our part-time programmes can lead ultimately to a BSc Honours degree, but also offer a number of stopping-off points on the way that are widely recognised and highly regarded qualifications in their own right,” adds Mr Day. “The ability to study while working means that students can achieve a professional qualification right up to a degree, but not take on a huge student debt.”
Students looking to break into financial services and get onto the first rung of the corporate ladder could start out studying part-time on a course such as the ifs Professional Certificate in Banking, a widely recognised benchmark qualification for those aspiring to a successful career in the sector. “Achieving a qualification like this demonstrates a thorough understanding of the industry and also shows that the holder has an aptitude for self development and a focus on a career in financial services,” explains Day. “This can pave the way for that all important first job and so quickly recoup the cost of study. Once you’ve found a job, many employers are highly supportive of continued development, often contributing to the costs of further study as your career develops.”
Rongrong Huo is a corporate banking manager at the City of London Corporate Banking Centre for HSBC. She recently gained a BSc (Hons) in Financial Markets and Management plus Associateship from the ifs School of Finance. “The course is ideally designed to prepare you to deal with the everyday realities of banking with modules such as applied credit analysis and risk management central features of the programme,” she says. “This together with the strategic, big picture focus of the programme gives wider career options and is invaluable to building a long term career in banking.”
For details on ifs School of Finance qualifications please visit www.ifslearning.ac.uk to view the full course list, or contact us for more information by email enquiries@ifslearning.ac.uk or telephone 01227 829499.
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