Every year SEO London provides hundreds of outstanding undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds under-represented in the City with not only direct access to all of the best graduate employers but also comprehensive training and mentoring to ensure that exposure leads to graduate opportunities. More than 80% of the 1,850 undergraduates SEO has helped to secure internships with partner firms have subsequently joined those firms as graduates, well in excess of the industry success rate.
In the academic year 2011-12 SEO will provide more than 300 first year undergraduates with the unique opportunity to take part in the SEO First Year Fast Track programme. Those selected will take part in an interactive two day training programme to learn more about the City industry (or industries) they are interested in, attend networking events with senior managers at our partner firms and be fast tracked for work experience/insight programmes at those firms in spring and/or summer 2012.
There are three different SEO First Year Fast Track programmes students can participate in – (1) Investment Banking (2) Corporate Law and (3) Professional Services (covering Audit, Consulting and Tax). Each programme will involve sessions from senior managers and graduate recruiters from SEO’s partner firms designed to educate participants about the different businesses in each industry, the type of work undertaken and how to best prepare for interviews and applications into the industry. Students can take part in one or more of the programmes depending on the industries they are interested in, potentially accessing more than 35 City firms.
Key Programme Details
- Learn about all of the different businesses in the industry from experts to better understand where you might be best suited
- Participate in interactive case studies / business simulations designed to give you much better insight into the actual work undertaken by these firms
- Get the inside track on what firms are looking for from undergraduates through CV skills workshops and interview skills sessions with senior graduate recruiters
- Network with junior and senior industry professionals and recruiters to get a better sense of which firms you might be most interested in
- Be fast tracked for spring/summer 2012 internships with SEO partner firms
- On-going support from SEO in the form of comprehensive training and mentoring
Programme Requirements
- Currently in the first year (or second year of a four year degree)
- On track for a 2.1 or above
- Minimum 300 UCAS points, 'BBB' at A level (or equivalent)
- No specific degree subject is required
- Keen interest in the finance industry is required
To apply for the First Year Fast Track programme, please click here
Participating Partner Banks
-
Bank of American Merrill Lynch
-
Barclays Capital
-
Citi
-
Goldman Sachs
-
HSBC IB
-
J.P. Morgan
-
Macquarie Capital
-
Morgan Stanley
-
Nomura
Participating Partner Professional Service Firms
- Accenture
-
Deloitte
-
Ernst & Young
-
KPMG
-
PwC
Participating Partner Corporate Law Firms
- Ashurst
- Herbert Smith
- Linklaters
- Macfarlanes
- Mayer Brown
- Simmons & Simmons
- Weil, Gotshal
- What is First Year Fast Track?
- First Year Fast Track Key Dates
- Making a Strong Application
- First Year Fast Track FAQs
- First Year Fast Track Sponsor Firms
The SEO First Year Fast Track programme was an excellent two-day insight programme, which consisted of detailed overviews of the various divisions in an investment bank, case studies, interactive business games and panel discussions with senior bankers from the leading investment banks. I thoroughly benefited from networking with senior industry professionals, SEO alumni and recruiters from the banks and to my utmost delight, was fortunate enough to secure the opportunity to intern at one of these banks over the Easter holiday following the SEO programme. The key thing about being in the programme for me is that it enabled me to develop my inter-personal skills and leadership skills as I networked with peers and professionals in the industry, gain the confidence to ask questions during the overview sessions and work in teams effectively.
Jimi Adesanya SEO Intern First Year Fast Track 2008 Class, Imperial College