Academy

Our Investment Operations Specialist route is designed to help you develop a wide range of skills including developing your verbal and written communication and customer service skills. When you join our Academy, you will enjoy a tailored induction programme after which you will have the opportunity to experience different teams in our Customer Services, Operations or Business Development functions. In your role you will provide support for AJ Bell’s customers across our award winning product range.

Our Academy will provide the ongoing training, development and mentoring you’ll need, enabling you to progress your understanding of financial services – all whilst earning a competitive salary – and much more!

Throughout your two-year contract, you will work towards an industry-recognised professional qualification, whilst following the Level 4 Investment Operations Specialist apprenticeship. In addition, you will complete in-house technical training and professional development training, and, if you are successful in your apprenticeship, there will be opportunities to continue your career at AJ Bell.

We ask for the following from applicants to our Investment Operations apprenticeship pathway:

• A minimum of 104 UCAS points (under the new tariff for courses starting from September 2017).
• minimum of five GCSEs A*- C or 4 - 9 (including Maths and English).
• The ability to demonstrate why you want to work within the financial services industry.
• Enthusiasm to learn and develop in different teams within the business.
• Honesty, self-motivation, and reliability.
• Willingness to follow our guiding principles.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for our September 2025 Investment Operations apprenticeship programme, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining why you would like to work in financial services, and why you would like to join the Investment Operations apprenticeship programme.

Apply now

Our Digital User Experience (UX) Degree Apprenticeship programme is a great opportunity for you to gain practical experience in our Technology department whilst studying. At the same time as learning on the job you will study for four years for a BSc in Digital User Experience with our academic provider, Manchester Metropolitan University. Each year there will be around 24 days of classroom learning at University, organised into six blocks of four days; the rest of your time will be spent working at AJ Bell, earning a competitive salary with your fees paid, plus much more!

You will have the opportunity to work in our UX design team to gain a deep understanding of design best practices in a fast-paced Financial Services business. At AJ Bell we help people to invest and our UX team are key to the journeys that our customers go on. Our UX team use their insight and skills to develop systems and processes that make every customer’s experience easier, more efficient and more enjoyable.

When you join our Academy at the start of the apprenticeship you will enjoy a tailored induction programme with us and Manchester Metropolitan University. This will give you the chance to get to know our business and develop your skills on the job, while at the same time continuing on a development programme designed to help you feel good about your future with AJ Bell. You will also benefit from the support of a dedicated mentor from within the business.

We ask for the following from applicants to our Digital apprenticeship programme:

• A minimum of 112 UCAS points (under the new tariff for courses starting from September 2017).
• A minimum of five GCSEs A*- C or 4 - 9 (including Maths and English).
• The ability to demonstrate your passion for digital technology and explain why you want to work within technology.
• Enthusiasm to learn and develop yourself.
• Honesty, self-motivation and reliability.
• Willingness to follow our guiding principles.

How to apply

If you would like to apply for our September 2025 Digital User Experience apprenticeship programme, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining why you would like to work in Digital User Experience, and why you would like to join our apprenticeship programme. Applications for this apprenticeship programme close on 13 December 2024.

Apply now

We know who we’re looking for when it comes to the apprentices who join us. If you want to stand out from the other applicants to our programme, here are some tips for making a successful application.

Download the application guide

Don’t just take it from us, meet some of our team and hear what they have to say about what #lifeatajbell is like as an apprentice.

Meet some of the women on our team to hear what #lifeatajbell is like as a female apprentice carving out a career in the financial industry.

The graduation ceremony for our second cohort seems like the perfect opportunity to reflect on the success of this remarkable programme. Having joined us in 2018 with no experience of financial services, these bright young people have now gained invaluable exposure to almost every area of the business, learned a huge amount about the industry, grown in confidence and acquired a range of new skills.

Celebrating your success

“It’s about bringing fresh new talent into the business, these are our leaders of the future.”

We are incredibly proud of the hard work our Academy apprentices put in and of the valuable contributions they make to the business.  Each year we hold a graduation ceremony to recognise the their achievements and celebrate the next step in their careers at AJ Bell, which can often mean a permanent full-time role and promotion.

Enjoy the celebrations at our recent graduation events in the following videos!