Published: July 16, 2024
At Unity, our employees share our vision of creating a better society through responsible, ethical banking. We’re committed to supporting the personal and professional growth of every employee, so we can continue to best serve our customers and deliver our ‘double bottom line’ of profit and purpose.
An important part of this is professional and industry qualifications, which can open the door to future progression, create opportunities for a new career path within the business or develop an employee’s existing skill set and expertise.
This commitment to employee career development supports our team members to thrive in their roles at Unity. Staff actively engage with Unity’s mission to contribute to a better society. This helps us to deliver business banking with a social conscience.
This is part two of a two-part series focused on employee career development opportunities at Unity. For part one, follow this link.
Here, we speak to Unity employees Lucy Willis, HR Business Advisor, and Sebastian Miles, Programme Manager and Head of Change, about their undertaking of professional qualifications and how this has supported their new career paths.
Lucy: Prior to joining Unity, I worked in the hospitality industry focusing on weddings and corporate events. I joined Unity in 2019 as a Corporate Events Officer, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic a year later, all business events were put on hold. At that time, there was a secondment opportunity in HR which is an area I had always wanted to explore. I have a real passion for people and I feel it’s so important to help make the work environment a better place for others. Following my three-month secondment, I was offered a permanent role as HR Business Advisor and have been part of the HR team for the past four years.
Sebastian: My career background is primarily in the military, having served 25 years in the Grenadier Guards. I joined the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2011 and have remained in financial services since, specialising in Project Management. I was attracted to Unity due to the culture of the business and the opportunity to deliver the most significant change initiative – Digital Banking – in the bank’s 40-year history. It was the most ambitious challenge I had taken on in my career.
Lucy: During my time at Unity I have completed a CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice (Level 3) and CIPD Associate Diploma in People Practice (Level 5). At the moment, I’m currently studying for a CIPD Advanced Diploma in Strategic People Management (Level 7). I’m due to complete this June.
Sebastian: I am currently studying for my MBA at Warwick Business School (WBS). This is being supported by sponsorship from Unity as well as a scholarship from the ‘Heropreneurs’ WBS Bursary Award scheme.
Lucy: The completion of my CIPD qualifications was extremely important to help develop my HR knowledge and put my learning into practice to support the wider Unity team. As part of my level 7 qualification, I’m completing a business research project which explores the wider causes for ethnicity pay gaps. Once completed, my findings will be shared with Unity’s executive team. Unity’s support for my studies has been invaluable – all three qualifications have been fully funded by the business. I’ve also been able to attend college one day per week, as required by my course.
Sebastian: As a member of the Unity Leaders’ Group and on being appointed as the Head of Change, I have realised that to broaden my executive understanding, I need to take the next step in education. I believe that pursuing an MBA is the right path to achieve my career goals. Unity has been enormously supportive of this.
Lucy: It’s never too late! In recent years, I have made my professional qualifications a real priority. Admittedly, working full-time alongside studying has its challenges. I would recommend having a good support system in place. Set clear expectations with your friends and family when balancing social and study commitments. Despite the short-term pressures, you can gain so much from professional qualifications so it’s worth all the hard work.
Sebastian: Go for it. Never think of learning and developing as age-dependent or age-restricted. Irrespective of background or profession, there is always scope for personal and professional growth. Pursuing a master’s degree alongside working under high pressure may seem intimidating. But, it is crucial to perceive such challenges as opportunities for self-improvement. This mindset showcases your readiness to invest in yourself, and in turn, inspires others to invest in you.
Unity offers full financial support for training courses, professional and industry qualifications. The ban provides staff members with paid study leave to support their learning as required.
“It’s so rewarding to see our staff members invest in their own personal development. I’m so pleased that Lucy and Sebastian have had the opportunity to support their career progression at Unity through professional and industry qualifications. They both show such passion and enthusiasm for their chosen career paths. Their experience highlights how additional study can help develop your existing skills and open doors to brand-new opportunities.”
At Unity, our values ensure we act in a way that helps to create a better society – for customers, staff, stakeholders and communities. We were the first bank accredited as a Living Wage Employer, we hold a Gold Standard in Investors in People, and are a signatory to the HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter, which is a commitment to see fairness and gender balance at all levels across financial services firms.
To find out more about careers at Unity, click here.
