Last week, I was given the opportunity to represent the Future of Advice (FoA) at Bournemouth University’s annual career fair. For those who are unaware of what the ‘Future of Advice’ initiative involves, it is a collaboration of several financial companies (of which FPWM is one) whose central aim is to attract and retain young talent into the Financial Services industry.
The annual careers fair is a fantastic way to network with ambitious and motivated students and to provide insight into the wide range of opportunities available within the Financial Services industry. We were extremely impressed by the attendance and calibre of attendees and all students showed outstanding engagement and curiosity characteristics which suggest that they would prove to be a great addition to our industry. Though, it was evident that many still lacked a good understanding of the opportunities existing within financial services which highlighted that there is a clear need to further increase awareness of this profession.
This lack of real awareness was a motivating factor for me in attending this event and something that was very apparent even in my second year at university. Most people wanted to enter the world of accountancy or investment banking because they were the only opportunities of which we were really aware of. I was fortunate enough to discover my current placement with FPWM and as a result I am seriously considering wealth management as my future profession. My placement has not only exposed me to a variety of aspects such as: investment strategies, taxation and financial advice but it has also given me the opportunity to understand what I want and do not want in a future career. Without the Future of Advice and the strong efforts of FPWM to increase the knowledge of undergraduates, I may not have discovered my passion so early and therefore I was very pleased to be able to assist the Future of Advice through representing the initiative at the careers fair.
By attending this event, FPWM and the FoA hopes to have increased awareness about the different options available to students and we hope to see all of you applying to our placement position when it opens mid-November. Other firms associated with the FoA initiative will also be placing their adverts on the ‘MyCareerHub’ so look out for the FoA logo.
Good Luck!
