More case studies and blogs

“We have 400 apprentices across the Council and work with 60 different training providers, 14 of which deal with the majority of our apprenticeships. CSA is one of our ‘niche providers’ which are really important to us to ensure that, where specialist expertise is needed, it is built into the programme and delivery. Regulatory Compliance is one such area where having a specialist provider is really beneficial."

Helena Baxter, Apprenticeship Programme Lead, Walsall Council 

 
"The CSA RCO Apprenticeship has given me the knowledge and skills to do my job better, but it’s also given me the confidence to challenge things so that we can work better and deliver better services at a strategic level. Because my tutor helped to make assignments really relevant to my job role, I was able to use them to overcome specific problems and challenges. My experience with CSA as a training provider has been amazing."

Sarah Heath-Marshall ICA QA(RCO), Community Protection Officer, Walsall Council: 

“Shortly after deciding to leave university, I came across a role at Lowell in the Customer Engagement Centre. At the time, I understood little about the collections industry, but I could see that this entry level role had the potential to open doors for me. The role gave me a unique insight into how collections firms work and what kind of circumstances customers are facing, and it quickly became evident that the widely-held perceptions about ‘debt collectors’ were not like the reality. 

"After a few months, I came across an apprenticeship role in the UK risk function. This was a unique opportunity to carve a career pathway in a fascinating area of technical expertise while learning on the job through a Level 3 Compliance Risk Apprenticeship delivered by our industry trade body, the Credit Services Association (CSA). As soon as I started in the new apprentice role, my mindset switched from that of a student to that of a young professional and it kick-started what has so far been a hugely rewarding and successful career. I have been fortunate enough to progress into a Risk Analyst role, where working in a fast-paced environment means no two days are the same. I would highly recommend both a career in the collections and debt purchase sector and apprenticeships to those looking for a rewarding job where they can make a real difference to people’s lives while fast-tracking their own career in a professional, innovative industry.”

Phoebe Backhouse, Risk Analyst at Lowell and former CSA Level 3 Regulatory Compliance Risk Officer

Read the full case study here:

L3 RCO case study

“With our vision to be a leading digital processing business in the UK, we have a range of challenges, not least ensuring that our colleagues across the business have up-to-the-minute skills.

“We were already engaged with the CSA on risk training so when the Counter Fraud Investigator Apprenticeship was recommended to us, it was the perfect fit. Our Senior Fraud Manager, Alan Rushforth, started the apprenticeship programme in April 2020 and has gained a huge amount of knowledge. Based on his experience of the programme, he recommended two other colleagues to join the programme to further bolster their capability.”

Katrina Flunder, Learning & Engagement Partner at iPSL

Read the full iPSL case study here:

iPSL case study

"As part of the recruitment drive to grow our team of trainee inspectors, we decided to offer the apprenticeship route to those with a Science A-Level alongside the traditional entry route for those with biological Science Degrees. We were initially expecting to mainly attract school leavers but have ended up with a cohort of apprentices aged between 20 and 63! The Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer Apprenticeship provides an ideal pathway for our needs which also allows our new inspectors to work alongside our experienced inspectors and take part in more specialised internal training.

We chose to work with Credit Services Association (CSA) as the training provider because of their track record of quality delivery tailored to unique organisational needs and their background as a well established trade association in a heavily regulated niche sector. From the outset, they worked hard to understand what we were trying to achieve and took the time to understand the specific legislation we have to comply with, and how we work as an organisation within the regulatory environment... The CSA team has been very responsive throughout the process so far, going the extra mile to gain and take on board feedback, and adapt the programme and our and our learners’ changing needs. The fact that our apprentices have hit the ground running and started progressing, developing, and adding value to the organisation straight away is a very good sign of things to come.”

- Carol Jackson, Apprenticeships Manager, Animal and Plant Health Agency APHA (part of the Government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs - Defra).

Read the full Defra APHA case study here:

Defra APHA case study

Laura Elliott, an apprentice regulatory compliance officer at Northumberland County Council, who was awarded a merit in the End Point Assessment of the CSA Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer Apprenticeship won the ‘Advanced’ category at the Northumberland County Council Apprentice of the Year Awards. Her mentor Laura Southwell also won an award for mentoring the apprenticeship. “I want to convey my sincere thanks to the CSA apprenticeships team for their hard work and support in encouraging Laura to reach her potential through the apprenticeship process. It has been a pleasure to work with them as part of her learning journey.”

- Laura Southwell, Trading Standards Officer at Northumberland County Council, who mentored to two CSA apprentices.

“In the current environment where some industries are facing unemployment and others have major skills shortages, there has never been a better opportunity to re-skill and up-skill people in specialist areas of financial services, providing an accessible long term career pathway from entry level upwards. Working with our trusted industry association on the delivery of the CSA Level 3 Advanced Credit Controller and Debt Collection Specialist standard is enabling us to cost effectively upskill existing and new employees to the highest standards for the long term. As an industry and as a business, we have always believed in the importance of investing in our people. The better skilled our people are, the better the customer outcomes will be, and this is fundamental to our business.”

- Nick Cherry, CSA Board Director and Chief Operating Officer at CSA member company Phillips & Cohen Associates

"The apprentices have found the course really beneficial so far and it has really helped them to consolidate their current levels of knowledge. The course has been really well organised and CSA have responded quickly to any feedback.  Overall, we would recommend this apprenticeship."

- Charlotte Edwards (Thurrock Council)

"We now have 4 Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer (RCO) apprentices working in East Sussex, the first two of which were on the first ever RCO course with the CSA. I have been pleased with the support my candidates have been provided with and am looking forward to further developing them based on some sound learning through the apprenticeship scheme."

- Richard Strawson, Team Manager (East Sussex Trading Standards)

"I learnt a lot from completing my Level 3 Advanced Credit Control Specialist Collections and have found it very useful. It was a lot of studying whilst also working full time, but passing the qualification made it all worthwhile. I had a lot of support from my tutor at the CSA and she was always contactable even on weekends and bank holidays. I found that she was very willing to help me when I was unsure of things and would spend the time making sure I understood relevant topics."

- Katherine Harris (HFS)

“As a "mature" learner I was nervous about undertaking a Level 3 Apprenticeship programme, however after my first Workshop with Barbara Stephenson my outlook was one of excitement and anticipation. The nerves soon went as Barbara explained the process, learning outcomes and how I would reach the end goal of obtaining my qualifications both as a Level 3 Compliance Risk Officer and also the ICA International Advanced Certificate in Regulatory Compliance.

As my journey has gone on, I find myself excited about attending Workshops and the virtual classrooms that we attend to embed what we have been learning. I am already using my new-found knowledge and skills in my current role as Compliance Team Leader within the department and business as a whole. My confidence has grown significantly, and I have been proactive in seeking out opportunities within the business to provide evidence for my portfolio to show that I have achieved the learning outcomes expected. 

My experience so far has been amazing, and I am looking forward to the end result and showing that mature learners do have the ability to learn and achieve excellence with the help and support of fantastic tutors. I would recommend the Apprenticeship to anybody who is looking to further their career within Risk & Compliance. 

An all-round amazing journey!"

- Sharon Jamieson, Compliance Assurance Team Leader (Sofology)

"The Apprenticeship enabled me to better my knowledge about the financial industry and compliance as an area. The course delved into many areas with the industry and compliance and therefore further my knowledge and skills. It also enabled me to network with individuals in similar roles to myself and also within the wider industry. 

The knowledge and skills I gained have helped me in my current role, as I now feel more confident in the work I produce and feel like I am more likely to speak up in situations were I would not have before.

Whilst on the Apprenticeship, I was fully supported by my tutor who I could contact at any stage for help or guidance. She also mentored me through the end point assessment so I was not nervous and was as prepared as possible. I can not thank my tutor enough. 

Anybody deliberating whether to start an Apprenticeship, my advice would be to go for it. It is flexible around your workload, you are supported from start to finish and you gain so much knowledge and confidence throughout."

- Stephanie Moss (H&T Group)

"My experience so far as an apprentice working towards the Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer, has been fantastic. I love the way the learning is conducted, through use of OneFile to upload work and attending the workshops to both learn and receive work to complete.

The tutors are knowledgeable and explain everything in plain English. They are always on hand to provide support, and nothing is too much trouble. Feedback on work is constructive and consistent.

I have attended two CSA events one in Newcastle in September last year and one recently in Leeds. Both of which have been really well organised and content rich. They have provided the opportunity for me to learn more about CSA as a company and also to share experiences with other apprentices.

I cannot speak highly enough of all the CSA Staff and I would without doubt recommend them to anyone as a Learning provider."

- Adam Heavisides, Senior Enforcement Officer (Doncaster Council)

"I think the first thing that comes to mind is how good the tutors have been in terms of support us and understanding our work. We were involved in the floods in November quite heavily so Harvey really worked with us to fit this in to the Apprenticeship whilst understanding we were falling a little bit behind with the work.

There’s always support and honest feedback in the work that we do and the assignments are always adapted to our job roles which is really useful.

Overall, I am really enjoying the apprenticeship."

- Sean Looker, Enforcement Officer (Doncaster Council)

"Firstly I think Barbara is an absolute credit to the CSA, she has done absolutely everything throughout the support of our apprenticeship. I have really enjoyed learning more and am looking forward to applying what I have learnt into my daily role as Compliance Assistant.

I really enjoy the bi-monthly meetings in Leeds and it was good to get together with a group so we can all compare what we do and how we apply different aspects of our role to the course. I struggled at first as I am not FCA regulated, but instead the HMRC so it was nice to hear more about the FCA and the way of doing things. Barbara always went above and beyond when she was thinking of examples to support my learning.

The professional qualification was great with the ICA and again the learning with them was brilliant."

- Bryony Williams (Provident Group)

"My experience of the Level 4 Regulatory Compliance program has been very positive.

All of the workshops have been very informative and valuable. John Whisson has a wealth of experience to share owing to his time working for Trading Standards.

The knowledge that I have acquired on the course has helped to inform my activities at work and I am sure that it will continue to do so in the future.

All of the fellow students that I came in to contact with were lovely and there was a good atmosphere at each workshop."

- Fiona Osborne-Wheeler (Henry Schein Dental)