True Potential: Q&A with Lucy
Financial technology firm True Potential was one of the first businesses to sign the Social Mobility Pledge, founded by Justine Greening MP and David Harrison of the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility.
Lucy Ingram began her career as a receptionist at True Potential and recently moved into the firm’s academy to train as an IT developer.
How did you get started at True Potential?
I started working for the Reception team at True Potential in July 2017. This was a great starting point as I got to meet and work with almost everyone in the building, learning about all the different areas and roles within the business. I was also encouraged by my manager to take some time and sit with other teams in order to further my understanding of True Potential as a whole . I worked for Reception for just over a year before moving to the Development team.
What opportunities has True Potential offered for career development?
The True Potential Academy takes on a wave of trainee developers from other teams each year. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone like me, who has always had an interest in Development, but didn’t have any experience and thought that it might be too late for an opportunity like this to come my way.
What skills are you learning in the True Potential Academy?
I am currently learning all of the basic tools and techniques of software development through a variety of learning resources in order to develop my skillset. In the next few months I will use these newly acquired skills and move into a support developer role, which will involve investigating and resolving technical issues reported by end users.
How do you see the Social Mobility Pledge in action at True Potential?
There are apprentices working across the business, in the IT department, development team and more. There are also a few work experience students that come in one or two days a week. All interviews are now name-blind and these opportunities are available to anyone, regardless of your background or experience so long as you have the determination and ambition that will make you thrive here at True Potential.
What do you enjoy most about working at True Potential?
What I enjoy most about working here is the potential for opportunity. I started with a job and now feel as though I am on a career path, in a line of work I may never have got a chance in otherwise, as I didn’t study software development at school or University. The team is also a big part of why I enjoy working at True Potential. It is great to work with a group of likeminded people who love what they do and will push you to be the best you can.
What are your hopes and ambitions for the future?
At the moment I am hoping to master the basics of development, and through doing that, decide what area I will eventually want to specialise in so I can then really push on and make significant contributions to the company.