Earlier this year, MPA was delighted to welcome the return of our former work experience student Ellie Pemberton following her graduation from Liverpool John Moores University.

Ellie approached MPA back in 2021 for potential work experience after realising that she wanted to work while studying, rather than completing a sandwich course with a year out in the industry. But, without a year out, she still needed the valuable work experience for when she completed a three-year Degree in Business and Finance.

After a LinkedIn in introduction with Phil and a successful interview, Ellie landed a placement that would provide her with the experience needed to get a job after graduation.

Joining us as a PA working for Phil, Ellie took on various projects and quickly showed her worth. We were happy to welcome her back for full-time time work in the uni holidays so she could gain valuable sector experience.

During her second summer at MPA, Ellie qualified as a Financial Adviser in just six months, completing a Regulated Diploma in Financial Planning while working full time. And she hasn’t let the grass grow under her feet!

Ellie explains: “Currently, I’m a Management Trainee, working with and providing cover across all departments at MPA, which is great for understanding the various parts of the business.

“My number one priority now is to get as much experience as possible to become an accredited Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) and approved to work with MPA clients. To start with it is likely to be more general advice so I can gain enough experience to find my own professional niche and work on more specialised client cases in the future.”

Ellie is quick to highlight her love of the learning process and problem-solving, and she enjoys helping people and sharing knowledge of what can be thought of by some as an intimidating industry. She explains, “Often, people write the industry off as a career because they don’t like maths and accounting, but I see it as very people-oriented rather than just business and accounting – it’s such an important subject.”

Ellie is already a huge asset to the MPA family and we’re looking forward to seeing her career take shape – and we’re proud to have played our part along the way. As Ellie says: “The whole team has been really supportive and the business is very open. It’s fine to ask questions and everyone is very patient.

“I am so grateful to Phil, who gave me an invaluable opportunity as a teenage undergraduate with no qualifications – that’s ultimately helped me get to where I am today.”

For more information about training and development opportunities at MPA, visit our careers page.