Tom and James both joined FFM in July 2021 and shortly after began their Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship at Manchester Metropolitan University in September.
The four year course was developed by MMU alongside the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and top employers to equip graduates with the leadership skills needed to succeed in the modern world.
The course blends academic learning with on-the-job training, enabling apprentices to become confident, capable and Chartered Managers (CMgr), the industry gold standard for management professionals.
Taught units are supported by work-based projects that focus on live business scenarios and real-world problem solving.
After both having successfully completed their first year, we wanted to have a catch up with the two of them to see how they have found it:
Tom Smyth
Tom is currently working in our Franklyn for Mortgages team as one of our fantastic Mortgage Client Managers.
One of his favourite modules from his first year was Stakeholder Management as he felt this helped him build an understanding on business relations which has benefited him when it comes to liaising with clients or businesses we work with.
“I have loved my first year at University and found everything I have learnt so valuable to my day-to-day work at FFM. Being able to study such interesting topics and then being able to apply that to the business is so helpful!”
Not only did Tom enjoy the topics he got to study but also enjoyed being able to go onto campus and have face-to-face lectures which allowed him to get to know his peers on his course.
“Being able to get to know everyone on my course has been great. I have been able to learn about job roles I hadn’t necessarily heard of before as well as talking to my classmates about how they use what we have learnt in the businesses they work in.”
James Chatterton
Like Tom, James joined FFM last July and currently works as a Client Manager in our Client Management team on the wealth side of the business.
James’s favourite module from his first year was ‘Dynamic Business and Digital Context’ which looks at the wider economy.
“Dynamic business and digital context was my favourite module this year as I was able to relate what we learnt to my day-to-day work in the office. As the economy plays a big part in what we do here at FFM, it was very helpful to get a better understanding on such an interesting topic.”
We are so proud of Tom and James and the progression they have made here at FFM so far. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!