A career in Change Management at TSB Bank
A case study on our Level 6 Financial Service Professional Apprenticeship
Learner profile
Name: Faith Elliott
Programme: Level 6 Financial Services Professional Apprenticeship
Job title: Continuous Improvement and Risk Engagement Manager
Organisation: TSB Bank Plc
My education and background
I knew that university wasn’t the path I wanted to take and was keen to dive straight into a career and seek some sort of independence. Luckily for me, I landed a job at TSB working in the call centre, and instantly fell in love with banking. During my time in CIO as a governance analyst, I was keen to start to invest in my professional development and started looking at what options were available to me through TSB. Upon researching, I’d discovered the Apprenticeship Levy, and wanted to understand how I could utilise this for my professional development, in line with TSB’s strategy. Fast forward eight years, with roles through telephony, change, branch and CIO, I’m now working in the Central Change team, managing both risk and continuous improvement.
Why I chose an apprenticeship?
Like many others, I’d had this preconception that apprenticeships were for those who had recently left school and wanted to work and gain experience. I had no idea the field for apprenticeships was so wide! My mum has a long career within education, and had completed a Chartered Management course herself. That definitely sparked my interest to do some digging within TSB.
How did my studies prepare me for my career?
Once I’d discovered the Financial Services Professional and Retail pathway, I knew it was the right course for me, with a mix between on-job learning, and additional chartered banker assignments Starting the course in 2019, I didn’t expect my learning to develop so quickly, along with my skills and career progression. I quickly discovered with such a supportive network around me, including a BPP Coach and TSB Learning mentor, and putting in the time and effort, my skills were becoming increasingly noticeable. Not only in the way I carried out individual tasks, but the way I thought more holistically, was more consistent and thorough, and ensured I thought about what I was doing and the impact, not only to myself, but the wider team and TSB’s customers.
My advice for others
Embrace your learning journey! Everyone’s journey will of course be different, but my advice would be to embrace it, dive in and put in both the time and effort. The more you put in, the more you get out. As clichéd as that sounds, it’s very, very true. Now near the end of completing the course, I have submitted my portfolio and entered my End Point Assessment. Throughout the course, I have worked through three role changes, a secondment and a permanent promotion, and I truly put that down to the hard work, perseverance, and the doors this BPP course has opened for me.
My ambition
When I first joined TSB. I’d gravitated towards a particular woman who was a total inspiration. She taught me all her ways, from creating showstopping executive papers, to teaching me how to deal with difficult situations, and how it’s OK to feel a little overwhelmed at times. Those lessons moulded me into who I am today, and it drove me to achieve my ambition to become a mentor to others the way she was for me. And now I’m here, not only in a management position, but settled in my own style having experienced so many different situations throughout my eight years, adapting my style and mindset, and ensuring I pay it forward to other women within banking, sharing skills, knowledge, an ear, and time. And I hope that my leadership can inspire other women in the way hers did for me.
