FMTS blog / Charles Gray: ''I’ve been challenged and I’ve grown''

West Midlands Graduate Trainee

Intake: September 2013
Location: Reading

When I applied for this scheme I couldn’t have told a statement of comprehensive income from a cash flow. Debits and credits were a foreign language. And Excel? That’s the green button that sits next to Word, it’s more useful brother.

Since then I’ve helped produce two sets of annual accounts, I’ve worked on three different ledger systems – and worryingly would actually claim to have a favourite – and am, by all accounts, an Excel wizard.

It’s not just technical skills and knowledge that I’ve gained though, it’s a broader understanding of the role that finance and accountants play in the NHS. Each organisation I’ve worked in has had a finance team trying to solve different problems, facing different challenges but all of them providing real support and value to the organisation they were a part of, and each of them has let me be a part of that. 

During my time on the scheme I’ve had a wealth of opportunities, from speaking at the regional finance directors meetings to spending time in the 999 call centre. I’ve been supported through my CIMA exams, and with training opportunities.

Most importantly, for me anyway, is that I’ve been challenged and I’ve grown.