Millie Strang

After school, there wasn’t a university course that jumped out at me, so I took a year out and worked in a local café. That’s when I discovered the apprenticeship at Baillie Gifford and decided to apply. My interview was in two parts – first I met my current Team Leader and Team Manager who asked me some formal questions about why I wanted the role. After that, I got to meet the team I’d be working with and the current apprentices for a more informal chat. It was great that I’d already met most of the team before I started.

I’m one of two apprentices on this training programme, and we really enjoy working together and bouncing ideas off each other. When we have a task, we’ll always try and work it out together before asking for help. As we’re being trained by previous apprentices who did our role, they really understand what it’s like to be in our position and take time to explain some of the more technical language. Our Modern Apprenticeship will take two years to complete, and we’re also working towards an SQCF Level 6 in providing Financial Services which should take about ten months.

I work in the Governance team within the Client Administration Department. Most of our tasks involve generating reports and data that the Client Administration teams need to do their work. When I first joined, we shadowed the previous apprentices, but now we’re trusted to do the work ourselves. They always check it afterwards, and if something isn’t right, it’ll always be picked up and explained clearly, so you learn quickly. As there’s less daily and weekly tasks on Friday, I put time aside for study. There are seven modules to complete for the SQCF, but most of the qualification is gained on the job.

The culture at Baillie Gifford is super friendly. When we first joined and were working from home, our team members were always messaging us to make sure we were okay. Since I’ve been in the office, people from other teams have come over and introduced themselves. So far, one of the highlights for me has been giving a speech to the entire Client Administration department (CAD) about joining the team. I’ve also helped to organise lunches for everyone in the department to meet the new head of CAD. It’s been busy and fun.