Data and Analytics Summer Intern Review

The Data and Analytics division at NatWest works across multiple NatWest areas including Wealth, Commercial and Institutional (C&I), Climate, Risk, and Analytics so it is very diverse and there are lots of opportunities for development and meeting employees. Over the course of my internship, I have had two projects to work on- one that my placement manager has assigned to me and a business project that all interns are involved in. I have really enjoyed this as I feel like I was given real responsibilities. My daily tasks involve working on both projects. No two days are the same but generally I will work on SQL coding for data sets and SQL learning. Then I build a range dashboards and visualisations on Tableau and undertake Tableau learning. I also prepare for presentations for stakeholders. Additionally, I take part in learning session calls with my team. I will also work on my business project. Generally, I will have conversations with other employees in other divisions of the bank to gather information for my research, I will also do some data analysis on datasets, brainstorm with the rest of my team and build PowerPoints to present to the audience. Externally, I interact with the local community through the CSR project that all interns do which is a great way to meet other interns, and the local community.

Yes. I have learned and developed skills such as SQL, and Tableau over the course of my internship. I was given access to DataCamp to learn a range of SQL and Tableau skills and it was great because I could then put the learning that I had learned from DataCamp into my placement work which I enjoyed. My team was also very supportive, and I had regular teach ins with them, allowing me to learn SQL and Tableau from them too. From an intern spotlight session, I also learned Figma which I have not heard of until the internship and it was great applying it to the business project. I also build on my communication skills and team working skills from talking and working with my team and my team members for the business project as well as a range of stakeholders and subject matter experts who I would not normally work with. I also took part in a presentation workshop where I presented a presentation I made to a small group of interns and a facilitator and I got feedback from it, allowing me to build on, and develop my presentation skills.

Yes, from my manager, I was given a project to work on for the duration of my internship. I feel like I was given real responsibilities for this. The datasets that I was given access to and used for my project are ones that the team also uses so this made me feel like a part of the team. I presented my project to stakeholders that my team also works with, so this also made me feel like I had real responsibilities. After my internship, there is scope for my team to further develop my project and use my project to start having conversations with stakeholders to drive revenue for their division so this is really exciting for me and makes me feel like I have lots of responsibility. This has been great for my learning. For my business project, I also had responsibilities. I was involved in a core component of the research, meeting with subject matter experts and undertaking data analysis for research and building our solution. This helped my team drive progress, so I feel like I also had responsibilities.

I feel like I had a lot of support and guidance throughout my internship. Every day, I have meetings with my team to check in and call out any issues I am having. My team was very friendly and welcoming. Although my team meets online, I find it very easy to reach out with them and schedule meetings with them to have check-ins and get lots of support and guidance when I was unsure of my next tasks. I also had support from my wider team. I also have a graduate buddy throughout the course of my internship who was great and very helpful and supportive. My buddy answered any questions I had surrounding the graduate scheme and internship. My buddy was proactive in finding resources, reaching out and connecting me with people to support me. I also had a graduate buddy to help me with my business project. Graduates held weekly learning sessions to support us for the business project. Early Careers also ran weekly-drop ins to further ensure that we felt supported, sending us also newsletters to keep us updated and continue giving us support and guidance.

The company culture was very inclusive and very welcoming. From the very beginning of my internship, I felt very welcomed by everyone I met, and people were so happy to help me, making me feel like a part of the team. Everyone was very friendly. There is a large focus on learning and personal development, especially for interns. I was encouraged to ask questions by everyone I met throughout my internship to help me with my learning. I had access to DataCamp to help me with SQL, and Tableau so I could progress with my intern placement work. I had weekly spotlight sessions so I could learn about other interesting areas of the bank and their work that I would not work in as an intern. There is also a large focus on mental well-being and having a good work life balance. We are encouraged to log-off at 5pm, and we had learning sessions to learn how to improve our wellbeing throughout the internship. This was great as generally, having a good work life balance is not a strong focus in the banking/ financial services industry.

I really enjoyed my internship. It was a fantastic experience, and I had lots of opportunities to learn. I really appreciate the opportunity to work in a corporate environment over the summer and I could apply skills that I had learned into my placement work which has the scope to be further developed by my team after the internship. My placement work was very hands on and I feel like it was meaningful. I had lots of variety in my tasks which help me stay engaged, from working in the business project with my team to attending meetings with my manager and team. NatWest Group has a very positive culture where there are opportunities and emphasis on learning and personal development. I really liked how I could build professional relationships with my manager, my team and my buddy. The internship allowed me to build and develop my skills, and learn new ones which I really appreciate. I can further build on these skills in a graduate program at NatWest Group.

Yes

Apply early as applications can fill up quickly. Be yourself during the whole application process and stay true to yourself. Stay aware commercially- read and keep up to date with the news and financial news as you will be working in a bank and will be impacted by financial events. Understand and do research on the culture and values of NatWest Group and make sure that you also align with these values and culture. NatWest Early Careers runs drop-ins for students to learn about applications in Autumn so attend them to get advice and learn about the application process! It is an invaluable opportunity- I do not know any other bank which does this. Do research on NatWest Group, learn about its products and services. Be specific about why you want to work in the division you are applying to. Do not be afraid to reach out to interns and graduates to ask questions! Highlight relevant skills during interviews and show how your experience and skills make you a good candidate.