BNY Mellon Searches for Apprentice Stars at New Manchester Academy

BNY Mellon partnered with the new Manchester Enterprise Academy in Wythenshawe to mentor the next generation of business talent, as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

The initiative enabled students from the academy to gain an insight into the business world. As part of BNY Mellon's Leadership Development Programme, employees were given an Apprentice-style business task. The teams, along with the students, formed competing companies and were given a series of tasks to complete including designing a company uniform for BNY Mellon.

Manchester Enterprise Academy is the first of seven new academies across the city that is focused on preparing students with the skills and qualifications that employers want and to provide them with a broad range of career opportunities. The academy has developed strong links with local companies including BNY Mellon and its principal sponsor Manchester Airport.

Marie Quayle, principal of Manchester Enterprise Academy, said: "The initiative with BNY Mellon provided students with a valuable insight into the world of work and is a key part of the academy's core aim of increasing our students’ skills, knowledge and aspirations.

"The students who took part in the scheme learned not only about the importance of working together as a team, but also the need for a committed attitude and a desire to succeed that is essential in business."

Jackie Williams, Managing Director of BNY Mellon in Manchester, added: "At BNY Mellon, we believe that personal development begins in the classroom and continues throughout your working life. Our own apprenticeship schemes and training programmes ensure that employees are constantly learning and gaining new skills.

"We are very supportive of Manchester Enterprise Academy's aim of enabling students to learn through work experience, which will prepare them for fulfilling careers."

Global Entrepreneurship Week ran from 16 to 22 November in 77 countries around the world. The event was set up last year to mirror Enterprise Week, which had been running in the UK since 2004.

BNY Mellon has been an advocate of staff development since it opened an office in Manchester in 2005. Including partnering with Skills Solutions, the region’s largest workplace education provider, to pioneer an Advanced Apprenticeship in Investment Administration, which links technical knowledge with on-the-job training.

This commitment to innovative training programmes was recognised with an accolade at the National Training Awards in October.