31 March 2021

Three steps to creating the perfect Fintech mentoring programme

At the beginning of March 2021, we launched a new initiative within our company to help young people start a career in Fintech and learn about the banking business from more experienced colleagues. The 3S Academy, as we proudly call the program, skyrocketed from the beginning – we received dozens of emails from graduates that indicated their desire to become a part of our star-team.

HOW TO create the apprenticeship program

A successful apprenticeship program involves a professional setting – an environment that allows to connect, share ideas and achieve goals in a well-organized manner. At 3S Money we pay attention to both company and personal objectives: our corporate culture is based on transparent communication and group solidarity – we welcome new initiatives and encourage people to share ideas, offer solutions and take the lead on projects. 

During the apprenticeship program, interns have an opportunity not only to understand the practical side of their chosen profession but also to find out more about the company, its mission and inner workings. Personal one-on-one work sessions between mentor and mentee introduce a completely different format of leadership skills development for a mentor and a more comfortable onboarding process for a mentee. 

"There is no secret ingredient in this process – friendly human interaction and a guiding hand do all the magic: for an unexperienced young person, starting a new job can be a stressful process as you don’t see the big picture at the start and don’t know how things are being done in the new environment. Looking up to the mentor, who invests time and guides you step-by-step in your career path, makes this process more satisfying and smooths the challenge"

– comments Alya, People Lead and 3S Academy Coordinator at 3S Money

HOW TO become a mentor and why 

For an employee, who has gained a seniority level within the company, there are several obvious benefits in becoming a mentor: there is the personal motivation of making a difference and helping another human, which brings more value and increases self-esteem as well as confidence in their personal expertise. Another, more practical side of this process is the management skills that one can improve when training a new team member. 

To become a mentor a person must fit the following criteria: 

  • have the relevant education, background or expertise 
  • have an enthusiastic attitude and willingness to share their knowledge
  • have an opportunity to invest their own time to build and maintain the relationship with a mentee
  • be able to evaluate development: set goals, measure the progress and value feedback from the mente

HOW TO train a good employee for your company

An apprenticeship program is very close to an investment project, with one visible exception: you understand the value and receive feedback right away. The impact that mentoring can bring is in the personal and professional growth that both mentor and mentee experience when developing relationship during the training process. 

At 3S Money we established a training program based on key toolkit elements: instructional/brainstorm sessions, practical tasks and evaluation. The power dynamic of this procedure allows a focus on both learning and relationship goals; it also creates an opportunity for the mentee to openly discuss ideas and participate in company life from day one. Pairing an intern with a more experienced employee is not considered as a one-way learning process but as an opportunity to drive and monitor the progress of solid team building with the same work ethics and high-level performance.

3S Academy mentors

Nabilah Hussain is an experienced Financial Crime, Risk and Compliance Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the banking industry. She has significant experience in Coaching, Retail, Sales, Portfolio Management, Financial Crime, Risk and Compliance. She also has a strong educational background with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) focused in Mathematics, Finance and Accounting from Queen Mary University and International AML Diploma from the ICA.

Yana Rozenberg is a senior data analyst with a 16-year background in finance. Skilled in process design, actionable analytics and turning information into intelligence, her career path started with project management in corporate landing and banking. She then enhanced her professional skills in financial management. Over the last 3 years Yana has developed a keen interest in big data and obtained certificates in data analytics and machine learning. Yana holds an MBA degree in finance and is fluent in 4 languages. Yana is also proficient in Python and SQL.

Jaime Brito is a Senior IT developer at 3S Money, who aims to better the world with the creative IT solutions. Jaime studied business administration and BSC Computing in Portugal and then in London. Jaime first started in the aviation industry, when he worked as a Flight Dispatcher for 5 years. His enthusiasm for computers and problem solving compelled him to make a major career shift to Web Development. Combining skills in both frontend and backend, Jaime is able to single-handedly build and manage websites and their integrations from scratch. Since 2010, he has grown and progressed from Frontend to Full-Stack Developer in different industries – Digital Agencies, Web Security and Entertainment... and now he is with us in the Financial frontline!

Other Beats

Enjoy this blog?  Share with your connections