After a tough competitive process, Year 12 student and new Head Girl Millie Zeffert gained a sought after place on the Nomura ‘First Step’ work experience programme to get a taste of a City career.
Millie joined eleven other students from across the GDST to receive the opportunity to see for themselves what life is like working in an investment bank and to be tested through various activities to see if a career in the sector would suit them. These tests included: ‘Stock, Pitch, Idol’ where students had one minute to present their ideas in an impactful way, following training on how to structure an effective pitch; a Trading Game which recreated the frenetic atmosphere of a trading floor to see how quickly students were able to react to new information; and practical exercises on the recruitment process.
Students commented that the practice interview were particularly useful – even though they were out of their comfort zone.
On the final day, students were asked to put together a professional group presentation on topics such as how China’s position affects the global economy; how to improve financial stability and the economic effects of the EU vote. Millie and the other GDST students impressed their hosts with their willingness to take the lead and also answer questions on the fly, demonstrating the depth of their knowledge.
The programme culminated in a networking event with parents invited to come and see something of what their daughters had experienced.
Millie commented: “I thoroughly enjoyed my three days at Nomura on the First Step Programme because I learnt so much about the banking industry itself as well as all the different roles within the bank. I particularly enjoyed the range of activities we took part in, including the trading simulation game, the trust game and the infrastructure game. The programme has really helped to broaden my ideas for what I would like to do after university.”
This event is part of the GDST’s commitment to lifelong learning as part of the CareerStart programme. Events are also organised with companies as diverse as Rolls Royce, PwC and The Royal Opera House, to give as many students as possible a taste of what their future careers might look like.
