Siyanda, a student at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School & Sixth Form in Birmingham, was supported by mentor Jingqiu Cui, a Finance Analyst at Phoenix. He also had the opportunity to work alongside Jingqui during his four-week paid internship at Phoenix in summer 2024.
“The internship has been a very positive experience for me, that I feel truly lucky to have been a part of,” says Siyanda Xabidiya.
“It opened my eyes to the variety of jobs available in the financial sector,” he adds.
“It’s added confidence in my mind that the financial sector may be something I would like to go into. I’ve learnt about the range of different jobs, ones that I never knew about. For example an Actuary – which I’m now very interested in and will do my own personal research on.”
Speaking to colleagues at Phoenix has also helped Siyanda understand the different paths which people take to their career.
“It’s taught me that getting to your dream job is not always straightforward, or even guaranteed,” he adds. “The skills and lessons you learn on the way are priceless and may lead you to a job that you initially didn’t know about but is perfect for you.”
Realising your potential
During his time at Phoenix, Siyanda has also developed his skills.
“The internship has enabled me to develop my research skills, which originally wasn’t a strength of mine, through the tasks that were set to prepare us for the final presentation and also in the final presentation itself,” Siyanda explains.
“It has also allowed me to further my communication and teamwork skills by working with people that I wouldn’t normally speak to and collaborate with. It opens your eyes to different views and ideas that you may have not thought of yourself.”
Internship supervisor Daryl Barber was impressed with Siyanda’s development.
“Where Siyanda stood out was in his ambition and a quiet confidence in his ability to question the requirements of his project, understand what did and didn’t need to be delivered and then to work hard to make sure he got as much out of the experience as possible, I hope he realises the potential he clearly has.” Daryl says.
“He asked for help in practising his presentation and he listened to the feedback and practised again. He really cared about how he delivered his presentation and put the time and effort into getting it right.
Advice for future interns
For any Career Ready students starting out on the programme, Siyanda had some advice.
“Go in with an open mind and soak up as much knowledge and information from the professionals you are lucky enough to be surrounded by,” he says.
“Get as involved as possible as you get as much from this experience as you are willing to put in.”
