London Stock Exchange Group and City Gateway launch new financial apprenticeship scheme

London Stock Exchange Group has partnered with London based charity, City Gateway, to launch a new scheme to help young people, aged 16-24 years old, take part in apprenticeships in the financial services industry. The ‘Gateway to the City’ initiative will pioneer a new pathway into the sector, by providing participants with year long apprenticeships and training at both London Stock Exchange Group and fellow scheme partners.

The special programme has been specifically created for apprentices hoping to work in one of the world’s most vibrant industries, improving their longer term career prospects by providing support and knowledge alongside a NVQ in Business Administration. The additional training will focus on business writing, presentation skills, IT, career planning, teamwork and networking.

To celebrate the launch of the programme, this year’s twelve apprentices took part in the Market Open Ceremony at London Stock Exchange this morning, alongside Xavier Rolet, CEO of LSEG; Shabana Mahmood, Shadow Exchequer Secretary; and Eddie Stride, CEO of City Gateway.

Xavier Rolet, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group, said: “One of London’s great qualities is the diversity of its population and fully harnessing this makes great business sense. As an organisation we are delighted to launch this important new programme for young people and I wish all those taking part the greatest success.”

Shabana Mahmood MP, Shadow Exchequer Secretary, said: “I am very encouraged to see the financial services industry providing new and exciting apprenticeship opportunities for young people. The Gateway to the City initiative will deliver valuable training and support to those at the start of their careers who may otherwise not have been provided it. I wish the scheme the greatest success and encourage other financial services companies to join London Stock Exchange Group and its partners.”

Eddie Stride, CEO, City Gateway, said: “We are delighted to be opening up a new gateway between careers in The City and the local community. We are really grateful to London Stock Exchange Group for helping us develop an apprenticeship scheme directly suited to financial services. London needs more employers to create meaningful apprenticeships with a view to a career and we hope more employers will follow suit.”

The following companies are taking on apprentices: London Stock Exchange Group, Standard Chartered, Societe Generale and Allianz Global Investors. The scheme is also supported by Credit Suisse, Pinebridge Investments and Vanguard Asset Management.

The initiative follows as a result of the successful partnership between London Stock Exchange Group and City Gateway as part of The Evening Standard Ladder for London campaign, which encouraged business across the capital to hire unemployed young people as apprentices.  As a result of this programme, London Stock Exchange Group hired a number of participants on a permanent basis. 

For more information on City Gateway apprenticeships: www.citygateway.org.uk or email jonathan.featherstone@citygateway.org.uk

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Notes to editors:

About London Stock Exchange Group:

London Stock Exchange Group (LSE.L) is a diversified international exchange Group that sits at the heart of the world’s financial community. The Group can trace its history back to 1801.

The Group operates a broad range of international equity, bond and derivatives markets, including London Stock Exchange; Borsa Italiana; MTS, Europe’s leading fixed income market; and the pan-European equities platform, Turquoise. Through its markets, the Group offers international business, and investors, unrivalled access to Europe’s capital markets.

Post trade and risk management services are a significant and growing part of the Group’s business operations. LSEG operates CC&G, the Rome headquartered CCP and Monte Titoli, the significant European settlement business, selected as a first wave T2S participant. The Group is also a majority owner of leading multi-asset global CCP, LCH.Clearnet.

The Group offers its customers an extensive range of real-time and reference data products, including SEDOL, UnaVista, Proquote and RNS. FTSE calculates thousands of unique indices that measure and benchmark markets and asset classes in more than 80 countries around the world.

London Stock Exchange Group is also a leading developer of high performance trading platforms and capital markets software. In addition to the Group’s own markets, over 40 other organisations and exchanges around the world use the Group’s MillenniumIT trading, surveillance and post trade technology.

Headquartered in London, United Kingdom with significant operations in Italy, France, North America and Sri Lanka, the Group employs approximately 2,800 people.

Further information on London Stock Exchange Group can be found at www.lseg.com.

About City Gateway:

• City Gateway has been delivering training and employment programmes for disengaged and disadvantaged young people in Tower Hamlets and East London since 1999.

• City Gateway work with NEET young people (not in employment, education or training), training them and giving them the opportunity to secure apprenticeships at leading firms.

• City Gateway have partnered with over 150 leading companies over the past two years

• As well as formal training, we also run youth centre provision at Limehouse Youth Centre and various venues in the City of London.

• City Gateway 14-19 Provision, established in 2012, was the first 14-19 alternative provision school offering employment focussed vocational training in the UK. This expanded the number of disadvantaged and disengaged young people that can progress into employment or further education.

• City Gateway 14-19 Provision has been training City Gateway apprentices who have found employment through the Evening Standard Ladder for London campaign.

• City Gateway welcome the contact from employers interested in either being part of this scheme in the future or who are looking to set up their own apprenticeship scheme.