The anatomy of a successful early careers finance program
About the Author
Ruairi O’Donnellan is the Head of Marketing at Intuition. Intuition is your end-to-end strategic learning partner, helping you identify, design, and deliver the knowledge and skills your teams need to succeed. As part of the research for this article, Ruairi spoke to individuals within Intuition who work to deliver early careers programs to our clients. Below are his insights.
***
Most early careers finance programs look impressive on paper. They are comprehensive, tightly scheduled, and packed with content. New analysts are exposed to complex topics early and move through structured pathways designed to accelerate readiness.
What is less often examined is why some of these programs consistently produce confident, capable professionals, while others require repeated reinforcement later on. The difference rarely comes down to effort or intent. It comes down to design.
Since 1985, we have worked with financial institutions around the world to design and deliver learning solutions that reflect how finance actually works. Across regulatory change, market cycles, new technologies, and shifting talent models, one pattern appears again and again. Capability develops fastest when learning is grounded in real financial context and deliberately sequenced over time.
This article explores how you can build an early careers finance program designed to build financial fluency.
Rather than offering theory or generic best practice, what follows looks at the practical design decisions behind your program, how it can be structured, how learning can be sequenced, and how it can be delivered at scale in a way that reflects the realities of a complex global institution.
Table of contents
- Program genesis and rationale
- Designing an integrated learning journey
- Skills Gap Analysis
- eLearning
- Applied work
- Mentoring
- Peer learning
- Instructor-led sessions
- Internal information sessions
- Reflection and learning logs
- Assessment
- Closing thoughts
- Key takeaways and next steps
- Frequently asked questions
Program genesis and rationale
The starting point for your program should be insight. Gathering information from relevant sources such as current employees, senior members of your organization, the market generally and what key skills and knowledge are needed for a new recruit at this stage of their career. At this point, partnering with a knowledgeable and experienced partner in the financial services industry can be highly valuable. Leveraging your partner’s experience can elevate your program and maximize the chances of success.
Just 7% of employers currently use AI in their recruitment process, but 41% plan to expand use within the next year—particularly in sourcing, screening, and assessments.
Designing an integrated learning journey
A core principle of your program should be an understanding that capability is not built through a single intervention. It develops through repeated exposure, application, and reinforcement in a work-relevant context.
To support this, your program should be designed as an integrated learning journey that blends assessment, self-directed learning, expert input, and application.
Below is an example learning journey through an early careers program for a financial services company you can tailor to suit your organization.
Skills gap analysis (SGA)
Oftentimes, these early career journeys begin with a skills gap analysis. Participants complete a pre-assessment to test existing knowledge and identify areas where they already demonstrate proficiency. This replaces assumptions with evidence and ensures time is spent where it adds the most value.
Skill Gap Analysis: Tools, Techniques, and the Path Forward for Employers
eLearning
eLearning provides a structured foundation aligned to your chosen topics. Rather than operating as standalone content, it is designed collaboratively and aligned closely with the institution’s context and priorities. Participants arrive at live sessions with a shared baseline and a common financial language, enabling engaging discussion and a more in-depth understanding of the topic.
Applied projects or simulations
One of the requests we hear from our clients is ‘how can we align learning with work?’. Learning in the flow of work, or making learning feel just like actual work, is one area your program should focus on. Case studies, applied projects, and simulated scenarios all contribute to a learning experience that prepares learners for their day-to-day.
Mentoring
Mentoring plays a reinforcing role throughout the journey. Assigned internal mentors will help your participants connect concepts back to day-to-day work, answer questions, and deepen understanding in context.
Peer learning and cohort interaction
Your employees might all be enrolled in the same course, but they won’t all think the same way. Feedback and review sessions among peers help to share learnings with others that might not have been picked up by others.
Instructor-led sessions
Instructor-led sessions should form the core of your live learning experience. These sessions balance conceptual understanding with application, combining explanation with practical exercises, case studies, and small group work. Where appropriate, guest speakers, product examples, and transaction-based scenarios are used to ground learning in real financial situations.
Internal information sessions
Optional sessions delivered by internal experts will allow institutional policies, procedures, and documentation to be layered onto your core program without overloading it. This ensures relevance while maintaining focus.
Reflection and learning logs
Creating space for reflection, whether through facilitated breakout sessions, learning circles, digital forums, or self-journalling, allows your participants to learn from how others interpret and apply concepts while also learning to reflect on their own experience. This mirrors how financial understanding often develops in real teams and builds networks early.
Assessment
Each module should conclude with an assessment, providing clear evidence of understanding and progression for both participants and stakeholders.
Closing thoughts
Early careers finance programs succeed when they are designed with the same discipline applied to financial decision-making itself. Assumptions are tested, foundations are established, and progression is deliberate.
The anatomy of a successful program is not defined by the volume of content delivered, but by how effectively learning is sequenced and applied in real financial contexts. When financial fluency is built early and reinforced over time, advanced capability develops faster and with greater consistency.
For complex, global institutions, this approach is becoming less of a differentiator and more of a necessity. Early careers programs that are designed intentionally, and delivered by partners with deep financial experience, are better positioned to build confident professionals who can operate effectively as roles, regulations, and technologies continue to evolve.
QFCRA partners with Intuition: A financial regulator development initiative
Key takeaways and next steps
Key takeaways
- Effective early careers finance programs are designed, not assembled. Capability develops through deliberate sequencing, not volume of content.
- Financial fluency must be established early. When foundational understanding is strong, progression into advanced topics is faster and more consistent.
- Learning is most effective when it mirrors real work. Applied projects, mentoring, and contextual examples bridge the gap between theory and practice.
- Integration matters. Assessment, eLearning, live instruction, and application should function as a single learning journey rather than standalone components.
- Reinforcement over time is essential. Repeated exposure and application in a work-relevant context leads to more durable capability.
Next steps
- Review your current early careers program to identify where assumptions are being made about key areas.
- Map learning activities against the skills and knowledge required at each stage of progression, rather than against a fixed timetable.
- Assess whether learning is being applied consistently in day-to-day work, and where opportunities exist to strengthen that connection.
- Consider how assessment, mentoring, and peer learning are being used to reinforce understanding beyond formal instruction.
- Engage relevant stakeholders early, including current employees and senior leaders, to ensure the program reflects how finance operates within your institution.
Intuition launches new retail credit and AI tutorials in Know-How
Frequently asked questions
What is an early careers finance program?
An early careers finance program is a structured learning journey designed to build foundational financial knowledge and capability in graduates or new hires. It typically combines technical learning, application, and workplace exposure to support progression into more complex roles.
How long should an early careers finance program last?
There is no fixed duration. Effective programs are designed around capability development rather than time.
Why is financial fluency important at the early careers stage?
Financial fluency enables new professionals to understand how their role fits within the broader organizational system. When this understanding is established early, learners are better prepared to engage with advanced topics, make informed decisions, and adapt as roles evolve.
What role does assessment play in an integrated learning journey?
Assessment provides evidence of understanding and progression. Used at key points in the program, it helps identify gaps, reinforce accountability, and ensure learning is being applied effectively rather than simply completed.
How can learning be aligned with day-to-day work?
Alignment is achieved through applied projects, case studies, simulations, and mentoring. These elements allow participants to connect learning directly to their responsibilities and see how concepts operate in real financial contexts.
Is eLearning effective for early careers programs?
eLearning is most effective when it forms part of a broader learning journey. When aligned with live sessions and workplace application, it provides a shared foundation that supports deeper discussion and practical learning.
How do mentoring and peer learning support development?
Mentoring helps learners contextualize concepts within their role, while peer learning exposes them to different perspectives and approaches. Together, they reinforce understanding and reflect how learning occurs in real financial teams.
Can programs be tailored to different regions or business units?
Yes. A well-designed program establishes core financial principles while allowing institutional, regulatory, and regional context to be layered in through applied work and internal sessions.
What differentiates a strong early careers finance program from an average one?
Strong programs are intentionally designed. They are grounded in real financial context, sequenced over time, and focused on application and reinforcement rather than volume of content.
Who should be involved in designing an early careers finance program?
Input from current employees, senior leaders, learning specialists, and experienced financial education partners helps ensure the program reflects both business needs and how financial capability develops in practice.
