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Graduate Trainees Sign Up with Newcastle Building Society

ByEmily

Sep 7, 2016
Three young graduates have beaten off stiff competition from across the country to win places on the North East’s biggest building society’s new graduate management training programme.

 

Tom Homan, Kim Saunders and Keith Hislop have all now begun 18 month placements with Newcastle Building Society, which will see them gain experience of working across specific aspects of the Society’s core operations.
Keith, who is a recent graduate in Accounting & Finance from Coventry University, is working in the Society’s Finance & Audit work stream, which will provide him with the skills and knowledge required to build his career in a finance or audit-based function.
Kim was already working the Society as part of its Darlington branch team, and has been taken onto the programme’s Branch Network, which focuses on the customer service environment, branch management and other supporting functions.
Her first placement will be at its unique, new Yarm branch, which is located inside the town’s redeveloped library as part of an innovative partnership with Stockton Borough Council.
Tom was also already working for the Society, as a Learning and Development Officer, and has now moved onto the training programme’s Operations Management work stream for the Society’s award-winning Strategic Solutions team, which delivers savings management services for a range of well-known banks and other financial institutions.
Each graduate has a dedicated line manager to support them in their learning and to ensure a consistent point of contact and management throughout the programme.
As part of an ongoing £10m investment programme in the way it delivers its service to customers, Newcastle Building Society is well underway in delivering on its promise to create 100 new jobs across its operations in 2016, including in its Product Administration, IT, HR, Credit Risk, and Treasury departments.
 
Keith Hislop, who is from Cramlington, says: “I was keen to join a large financial institution at graduate level, and after researching several options, I decided that the Society was best suited to my areas of interest.
“The Society’s strong reputation for customer service and the help it gives to local communities were key factors for me, and as I have lived in the North East for most of my life, l knew I would relish the opportunity of working for such an organisation.
“I knew getting onto the graduate scheme would give me the chance to gain a lot of exposure to many different departments across the business, and I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can in the next 18 months.”
Andrew Haigh, chief executive at Newcastle Building Society, adds: “Giving talented people the chance to start to build their careers and realise their potential is essential to the long-term well-being of any large organisation.
“Our graduate scheme is designed to capitalise on the candidates’ experience, qualifications and career interests, while setting a clear end goal both for the business and the graduate.  It provides a tremendous opportunity for them to develop skills and knowledge that will serve them throughout their working lives.
“The calibre of applicants we had this year was extremely impressive, and narrowing down well over 100 candidates to the final three was immensely difficult.
“It is a huge testament to the personal and professional qualities that Tom, Kim and Keith offer that they were successful, and we wish them the very best for the future.”
Full details of current Newcastle Building Society vacancies can be found at www.newcastle.ciphr-irecruit.com

By Emily