One of the questions we get asked most often by people on our programmes and by people thinking about applying - is some version of the same thing: "And then what?"
You go through the training. You work hard. You pass your exams. And then what? How do you find the firm that will actually give you a chance?
Last month, we answered that question properly.
careersinfinance.co.uk is a recruitment platform built specifically to connect entry-level candidates with financial services firms across the UK.
It's free for candidates (permanently!) and it's designed for exactly the kind of person our programmes exist to support. People who are motivated, who've done the work and who just need a firm willing to give them that first foot in the door.
If you've completed our New Talent programmes you'll be identified on the platform as a Foundation graduate (with a Foundation heart icon!). That's our stamp of approval and tells employers that you've been through structured training and support - and that we've already backed you!
The honest answer is that we kept watching the same pattern play out.
People would come through our programmes - often people who'd never imagined a career in financial services was for them, who'd come from completely different backgrounds, who'd grafted to get their qualifications - and then find that breaking into the sector was still harder than it should be.
Not because they weren't good enough, but because they didn't have the connections, or because the recruitment system wasn't built with them in mind.
We're a not-for-profit. Our whole reason for existing is to change that. So, we built the infrastructure to do it!
We partnered with Striver - an Australian company that has spent thirteen years working on exactly this problem: growing the next generation of financial advisers so that quality advice reaches more people.
Alisdair Barr, CEO of Striver, said at launch:
"Striver has spent thirteen years on a single mission: growing the next generation of financial advisers so that quality advice reaches more people. Seeing the software we've built in pursuit of that goal now powering the Verve Foundation's work in the UK is exactly the impact we set out to create."
Different countries, same belief. The talent pipeline can be fixed - it just needs the right infrastructure.
You can hear more from Alisdair directly when he joins Cathi on an upcoming episode of the NewIn Podcast. Keep an eye out for that one coming soon!
If you've been through one of our programmes, head to Careers in Finance and create your free profile. Your Foundation graduate status will be visible to employers from the start.
If you're thinking about applying to one of our programmes, this is part of what we offer - not just the training and the support, but a clearer route through to employment on the other side.
Want to find out more about our funded programmes? Check out our New Talent programmes.
Careers in Finance works for employers too - and we'd love more firms to be part of it!
Hiring entry-level talent through a traditional recruitment agency typically costs 20-25% of a hire's first-year salary - often upwards of £6,000 for a single role. Careers in Finance charges £750 per successful hire, plus an annual access fee that's currently free until 1 August 2026 for any firm that registers using the code FREELAUNCH.
Every pound you spend through the platform comes back to us as a not-for-profit - funding more training places, more programme cohorts, and more people getting a shot at a career in finance.
So, you get a great hire at a fraction of the usual cost, and you help build the profession's pipeline at the same time.
Just register at careersinfinance.co.uk and use code FREELAUNCH to waive your first year's access fee.
