Meet Millie
Millie joined M&G as a Portfolio Management Support apprentice in our London office. Learn more about her current apprenticeship experience.
When leaving college I knew I didn’t want to go to university, but instead wanted to start working, as well as gaining a qualification. I knew that the financial sectors was the route I wanted to go down, so I began to apply to apprenticeships in this field. I applied to a few, but M&G was my first choice by a long way because they’re an important player in the financial sector.
My role is titled Portfolio manager support apprentice, essentially I support the portfolio managers in my team. This involves trading in portfolios to make sure they are inline with their targets so our clients receive the best possible return on their investments.
Alongside my daily job role and training, I have been completing my apprenticeship studies working towards my Investment Operations Technician Level 3 qualification. I have been progressing with my apprenticeship qualification assignments and I am now studying for my first professional exam that focuses on securities and investments. At the end of my 18 month apprenticeship I will have completed my Investment Operations Technician qualification and will have a recognised professional qualification.
The most challenging aspect of my role is to know what is best to do based on market movements and portfolio cashflows. Cashflows in and out of the portfolios cause them to move further or closer to their targets meaning we need to trade to bring them back inline. However, sometimes market movements mean it is better if we don’t trade. I’ve found this situation the most challenging aspect of my job role as it is hard to make the decision on what to do. Although it can be difficult, I’ve also found it interesting as you can see different market movements and how they affect the portfolios.
My greatest learning experience to date is quickly picking up different portfolio ranges and understanding how they are run. Each portfolio group is different and they are run in slightly different ways, some are more challenging than others. I’ve been able to pick up different portfolio range quickly and have already assisted in trades within 3 different portfolio groups.
The support I receive from my colleagues really helps me to reach my full potential, they are always willing to give time to explain or go through things I don’t quite understand. They have also go me involved in a number