We spoke to some of our interns in Geneva, London, Zurich and Singapore, and each of them said they were having an intense, positive experience and stressed the quality of the support they were receiving.
“What struck me the most was the open-mindedness and agility with which issues are tackled at UBP. You hear quite a lot of competitors complain about regulations and the disruption in the industry at the moment. At UBP, the main thing I saw was that people were looking for solutions.”
Giaan just finished an internship in finance at UBP’s Singapore office. It was a “really positive” experience, he says: “The tasks I was given were so challenging that I had to learn. And my work was actually used: it’s really rewarding to know that you have had an impact.”
UBP’s corporate mission to train is so woven into its DNA that “Learning by doing” could truly be one of its mottos. Being a family business, the Group has always placed younger generations at the heart of its growth model. Every year around fifty young people join UBP worldwide for work placements. “These internships can last a few days in the case of job shadowing for the youngest participants or several weeks or months for internships that form part of a study programme or during the summer. They are one of the flagship programmes of the UBP Academy, which covers our certified training courses as well as partnerships with universities and business schools,” explains our Learning & Development (L&D) team.
These internships offer these youngsters the chance to come face to face with the realities of the working world and to get their first taste of finance.
UBP’s fundamental principle is to treat interns as it does its other employees. “If they need us, we in L&D are there for them and their teams. We can give them our support so that everything goes as smoothly as possible.” Right from the outset, Robin, who is interning with the Eastern Europe team in Zurich from June to September, really felt like part of the team, “There’s a friendly atmosphere but it’s always professional. From the get-go, I felt that I had the team’s confidence and their respect, which motivates you to contribute and to go beyond expectations.”
Kate, an economics and political science student who was also really pleased with her eight-week internship in London, was tasked among other things with finding new ideas to promote responsible investment funds. “It brought me everything I’d hoped and more. I feel like I’ve worked very hard and have also been really productive.” What made this outcome so positive? “I was really well managed and I had a lot of feedback about my work, and that helped me progress,” she explains.