Shrey Drey – Industrial Placement Programme

Tangible work experience 

I’m studying Business and Finance. I wanted to gain tangible work experience and seniors at my university recommended looking into placements at Lloyds Banking Group. Risk felt like the best fit, as it blends commercial insights, data and modelling. I’m interested in but not experienced in coding, I’ve been lucky to develop my software skills here. 

What I’m most proud of 

With my teammates, I got to build an ‘optimisation dashboard’. It’s a really interesting way of visualising data on a monthly basis. I had to learn coding from scratch and use three software platforms, so completing it gave me a real sense of accomplishment. Because of my placement, I can picture myself working confidently with data, technology and finance. I’ve also developed in ways that I didn’t expect to, such as an ability to think of my feet, decision-making and interpersonal skills. 

The best early careers experience

In my opinion, Lloyds Banking Group has the best early careers and student experience. Education is really important here. No one expects you to know everything, but they do want you to put an active effort into asking questions. It’s an extremely warm and welcoming environment. Everyone is very encouraging.

Building relationships beyond my team 

I’ve been able to interact with colleagues across the country. I’ve been to network events, met people on monthly calls, and even organised socials myself. Recently, my team volunteered at a local primary school to paint park benches, clean the property, and help organise books. It was really fun and a great way to connect with new people. I’m looking forward to a skills builder exercise at a local high school.