The Virgin Money graduate programme does not just create data professionals, but it sculpts them into data entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo and drive innovations that will evolve the wider industry. The Virgin Money data graduate journey starts with being informed that they are not looking for a full tech stack and there are no needless online technical assessments, but the focus is on proactive actions that show enthusiasm, aspiration and a passion for all things data. It is telling that more than 90% of all graduates decide to stay with Virgin Money after graduating.
“I like the fact that it reaches in with the ‘soft skills’ so needed in leadership roles.” – Judges’ comment
The programme provides the knowledge and tools required to be highly adept with multiple data tools as well as interpersonal skills as data is a highly collaborative specialism that requires great storytelling capabilities. Graduates have stated that the most valuable lesson they receive from the Virgin Money programme is that they are taught how to fail, gain the confidence needed and speak up to lead.
There is a huge weighting on flexibility and wellbeing on the programme, with graduates receiving access to five wellbeing days for self-focus, 30 days holiday plus bank holidays, discounts on travel packets within the Virgin Group and a pension contribution of up to 21%. This amounts to an incredibly supportive and agile environment for graduates to enter the world of data and find themselves in a secure profession with plenty of opportunity for growth.
Graduates are encouraged to share their learning goals with dedicated communal training time and then present back the important points and how they intend to use the knowledge going forwards. Virgin Money graduates have stated that they love these sessions as they learn communally and can benefit from the different perspectives and proposed actions of a wider data community. This approach continues to build trust within the graduates as they start a data-centric career and supplemented with a fast-paced six-month growth-impact pathway with key milestones and development goals and stakeholder engagement.
scheme
