Former student, Ollie Haley, finished the Business, Management & Leadership T Level in September 2024, after completing his 8-week placement at Lloyds Banking Group. After the successful completion of his T Level, Ollie was offered a full-time apprenticeship as a Senior Financial Assistant at Lloyds Banking Group.  

Before college, Ollie wished to go into the Royal Marines but decided to complete a college course so he would have something to fall back on if needed. Originally, Ollie was going to choose to do a Bricklaying apprenticeship course as a way to earn money while he studied, however the Business T Level caught his eye, so he decided to pursue that before starting the Royal Marines. After starting his T Level placement at Lloyds Banking Group, he found an interest in insurance and finance and decided to continue his career in this field post T Level when he was offered a full-time apprenticeship with Lloyds Banking Group.  

He has almost completed his Level 4 apprenticeship and once finished, he will progress to his Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Level 7. After the successful completion of the Level 7 apprenticeship, he will become a full Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Grade D Assistant Manager at Lloyds Banking Group.   

As part of his apprenticeship, Ollie was given a range of tasks to complete, one of which being the role of monthly reconciliations which was previously an Assistant Manager’s responsibility. However, after working with the system, he concluded that it was too time-consuming to continue with the amount of manual input required, so decided to make changes. He removed a lot of the old system and increased the amount of automation using formulas which reduced the time spent on the task and freed up space for additional tasks and an increased workload.   

Ollie’s use of initiative and resourcefulness meant that the efficiency of the monthly reconciliations was largely improved, impressing management and colleagues within his first year of the job. He is now preparing a Tier 2 subsidiary account and will be moving onto a Tier 1 subsidiary account later this year which will be the largest account he has been responsible for within his apprenticeship.  

Due to the impact his T Level had on his development and goals, Ollie wanted to mentor a current T Level student on their Lloyds Banking Group placement. He convinced his manager to allow him to have the first T Level student to work in Insurance as opposed to Global Finance Support GFS where all other T Level students complete their placement. This was extremely successful, with his student doing an excellent job throughout her placement and providing her with new skills within finance and business management.  

Ollie said, “I wouldn’t be where I am now without the T Level. I got my apprenticeship through my placement and haven’t looked back since – I wouldn’t change it for anything. I felt so supported throughout my placement by the staff at Weston College, especially from my lecturer, Emma Hussey. She helped me find what I enjoyed, and I realised that I’m really good at what I do. I’d recommend anyone considering the T Level to go for it, it’s given me so many more opportunities.”  

Ollie recently returned to Weston College as a group mentor for the Business Enterprise Challenge, mentoring students with their brand and helping them create products to sell to raise money for Weston Hospicecare. He has also offered to deliver a Finance guest lecture to our current Business, Management & Leadership T Level students to share his journey, experiences and insight into working at a large corporation like Lloyds Banking Group.  

Ollie is a fantastic reflection of what hard work and dedication can achieve. He thrived within his placement, and it paid off, getting acknowledged and praised by management which resulted in a full-time apprenticeship with guaranteed job security after completion. He has now been nominated for a Group Finance – Growth Mindset Award this year within Lloyds Banking Group, and if he is successfully shortlisted, he will be invited to attend the awards night in London.  

A big thank you to Ollie for sharing his experiences and helping our current students with their T Level journey.  

If you are interested in applying to one of our Business courses, click here. 

Progress to the next level in Business! At University Centre Weston (UCW) our students give us impressive feedback, with our latest National Student Survey results putting us above average in all nine areas! Find out more about our exceptional teaching, wellbeing services and learning resources by visiting our website. Click here! 

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.