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The founder of a major brokerage has unveiled details of how ambitious young people will now be supported to pursue a career in broking and finance.
Astute Ability Finance Group has established a pathways program for senior high school students that gives them the opportunity to gain experience in the financial services sector.
The program involves intern ships provided by Mhairi MacLeod, the firm’s founder and principal, for local students with her company, based on the NSW Central Coast.
“We want to give back to the profession and providing an avenue for students to gain vital real-life experience in the financial services sector is one way to do that,” she said.
“I know from my own experiences there are limited opportunities for students to obtain valuable work experience and we are keen at Astute Ability Finance Group to make this program a major part of the firm’s fabric,” MacLeod added.
The group’s first intern Bridie Cartwright, a year 11 student at St. Joseph’s Catholic College East Gosford, said, “I’ve learnt a lot, particularly the amount of effort the staff put in.”
The internship program follows MacLeod’s work with the School Entrepreneurs Program, of which AFL star Alex Rance is an official ambassador.
The program is a joint initiative between her firm and the MFAA to teach high-school aged students how to run a real start-up business as part of their commerce or economics class, with brokers delivering the lessons on a voluntary basis.
This involved finance brokers delivering a six-hour program of lessons on such topics as business set up, developing business plans, product development, marketing strategies, human resources, strategies for profit, loss and future business direction.
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