IA launches Think Investments to open doors for young people in asset management

Friday 7 December 2018

The Investment Association (IA), the trade body that represents asset managers, has launched Think Investments, the latest initiative from Investment20/20 which will enable young people from diverse backgrounds to access career opportunities within the asset management industry.

Investment20/20 has selected 65 state-educated students through the charity Career Ready to take part in its inaugural Think Investments programme, which through a series of interactive masterclasses will help these students apply for jobs and trainee roles at asset management firms.

In line with Investment20/20’s strategy to attract a diverse pool of talent into the investment industry, the first cohort of students, taken from schools and colleges in and around London, represents a range of backgrounds; a third are female and over half are from BAME backgrounds - of these a third identify as black.

Hosted by BNY Mellon, Jupiter Asset Management, LGIM, Rothschild, Schroders, and Barings, the Think Investment masterclasses take place over the next six months and are designed to help these young people hone their application and interview skills. The masterclasses will cover topics such as: success at interviews and assessment centres, effective communication and networking and culminated in a one-day work-shadowing placement for every student.

December’s masterclass, hosted by Jupiter Asset Management, will provide an introduction to asset management.

Chris Cummings, CEO of the Investment Association said:

“I’m delighted to see the growth of Investment20/20 and look forward to seeing these talented young people take their first step into asset management careers due to the support of the Think Investments programme.”

“I want asset management to be a career option open to everyone with potential regardless of their background, yet I know that applying for your first job can be a daunting process. We need to enable young people, especially those who are furthest from our industry, to overcome the first hurdle of entering the world of work by providing them with the necessary skills to succeed during the application process.”

Commenting on the launch of Think Investments, Karis Stander, Managing Director of Investment20/20, said:

“We are spreading our net further than ever before to reach those young people who have the ability to the flourish in the asset management industry, but who may have never considered a job in financial services. Providing students with the skills to navigate the application and interview process is key to opening up the talent pipeline and ensuring that the asset management industry reflects the diverse background of the savers that we serve.”

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For further information, please contact:

Helen Ayres, Media Relations Manager: [email protected]
T +44 (0)20 7269 4620; M +44 (0)7508 724 066

About Investment20/20:

• Investment20/20 promotes entry-level talent, diversity and inclusion within the investment industry.
• Investment20/20 has recruited and supported over 1,100 trainees and apprentices for its 35 partner firms from the investment and wealth management sector since it was founded five years ago by Andrew Formica, Joint-CEO Janus Henderson Investors and Nichola Pease, Former CEO of JO Hambro. One sixth of Investment20/20 partners have joined in the last 4 months alone.
• Investment20/20’s aims are to ensure an increasingly wide range of students can access the knowledge they need to make an informed decision; to make opportunities easier to find and applications more straightforward; and to engender a positive perception of the industry amongst all the students in 3,400 schools, colleges and universities with which the programme communicates. Investment20/20 will also continue to provide valuable training and networking opportunities in London and Edinburgh to new recruits into the sector.
• Key statistics about Investment20/20:
  • 74% of those recruited have been offered permanent roles after the programme
  • 88% of trainees have come from State Schools and 48% are school leavers
  • 41% are BAME and 38% are female.
• Of the graduates, 52% are the first in their family to go to university, 57% studied non-finance-related subjects (e.g. maths, economics or finance).
• For more details about Investment2020 visit: https://investment2020.org.uk/

About the Investment Association (IA):

• The IA champions UK asset management, supporting British savers, investors and businesses. Our 250 members manage £7.7 trillion of assets and the asset management industry supports 100,000 jobs across the UK.
• Our mission is to make investment better. Better for clients, so they achieve their financial goals. Better for companies, so they get the capital they need to grow. And better for the economy, so everyone prospers.
• Our purpose is to ensure investment managers are in the best possible position to: o Build people’s resilience to financial adversity
• o Help people achieve their financial aspirations
• o Enable people to maintain a decent standard of living as they grow older
• o Contribute to economic growth through the efficient allocation of capital.
• The money our members manage is in a wide variety of investment vehicles including authorised investment funds, pension funds and stocks and shares ISAs.
• The UK is the second largest investment management centre in the world, after the US and manages 35% of all assets managed in Europe.