Rebecca Dawber from Bathgate Academy in West Lothian completed a four-week paid internship at NatWest. Here, she tells us how the experience helped develop her workplace skills and boosted her confidence.
I lacked confidence and self-belief
I used to get extremely nervous speaking to new people because I was lacking in confidence and self-belief. I didn’t feel like I understood what would be expected of me in a professional environment and lacked workplace skills like time management.
During my internship at NatWest I worked in the wealth business department with team leader Steven Cowan who looked out for me from the start and made sure I felt supported and secure. I learnt a tremendous amount about the world of work, and a lot about the finance sector. I didn’t realise how many different teams work within a bank!
Everyone made sure I felt supported
By far, the best part of my internship was the people I met, they were so welcoming and made the experience a whole lot less intimidating. The team looked out for me from the start and made sure I felt supported.
I want to support young people at the start of their career journeys by sharing my experience, de-mystifying the world of work and giving them a confidence boost. Witnessing the young people that come and work with us adapt to the workplace and grow in confidence is really rewarding and I’m proud that NatWest plays a part in that.
Mentoring with Career Ready is such a simple thing to do that doesn’t take up much time and provides a valuable support to young people. Just by sharing life skills and experience you can help to make a difference.
Andy Rodger, Talent and Acquisition Consultant at NatWest
My original plan for the future was to go into forensic psychology which I still love and am drawn to as a career, but I am now also interested in a career in banking. The team at NatWest were amazing and worked really hard, by seeing the job they do, I’m more interested in working there in the future.
I now feel more comfortable in myself
I’m very glad that I got the opportunity to work at NatWest. It’s definitely helped me to develop my workplace skills, understand the work environment and changed my ideas about the finance sector. I now feel more comfortable in myself and more confidant speaking to new people. I feel like I’ve gained the ability to plan my time more effectively and the motivation to get important tasks done.
I’m very glad I chose to take part in the Career Ready programme, it’s definitely changed my approach to banking and the workplace as a whole.
Get involved today and help more young people like Rebecca kickstart their futures.
