Free Financial Services Training Program

Location: New York City

In today's evolving job market, a college degree often falls short for students seeking their first full-time position, particularly first-generation college graduates.

COOP Careers offers a dynamic virtual fellowship designed to accelerate careers by providing free certifications and training in financial services while providing mentorship and networking opportunities.

Our program equips fellows with high-demand skills to secure roles with an average annual salary of $70K.

Find your fit in the financial services sector

Our financial services fellowship provides a comprehensive blend of data analytics and financial services topics, ensuring that students gain knowledge and skills in both areas.

Meet MariaCristina and other fellows and captains from COOP’s financial services track. Hear about what their experience has been like and how the fellowship can make a difference on your career path.

If you have questions, please contact our team at recruiting@coopcareers.org.

What are financial services?

Financial services professionals support the systems that manage and move money across the global economy. Banks, investment firms, fintech companies, and financial institutions rely on professionals who do a variety of tasks, including analyzing data, monitoring financial activity, supporting transactions, and helping organizations make informed financial decisions.

Like in our other tracks, the Financial Services curriculum is split into "hard" and "soft" skills — because every successful career requires Head, Heart, and Hustle. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that business and finance employment will grow by 7% from 2021 to 2031, slightly above the average projected growth for all U.S. occupations. Certain roles within finance, like financial examiner, are projected to grow by more than double the national average (Source: Forbes Magazine).

Fellows will have the opportunity to prepare employment through a structured blended learning model including live training, asynchronous learning, and applied projects. Fellows will have access to the CFI Corporate Finance Foundations certificate as well as the Google AI Essentials certificate to support their learning journey.

Kickstart your career in financial services

COOP Careers Fellowship introduces participants to the fundamentals of the financial services industry and the skills needed to begin a career in finance. Fellows learn how financial institutions operate and about the regulatory environment they operate in, while building analytical skills through hands-on work with financial data, including data visualization projects, statistics, and probability. The curriculum also introduces key data analysis techniques and tools such as Excel and Tableau to help fellows analyze information and communicate insights.

Throughout the fellowship, fellows apply what they learn through projects that simulate real financial services work, mirroring common responsibilities in entry-level financial services roles, such as evaluating financial performance, identifying trends in data, and presenting findings clearly to stakeholders.

The capstone project offers our fellows the opportunity to demonstrate and refine their technical and soft skills in real-time. Fellows collaborate in small groups to derive data driven insights that replicate entry level job responsibilities in financial services.

Completing the capstone project results in a deliverable—such as a report or presentation—that serves as a tangible work-like experience they can leverage during their career search and highlight during job interviews.

Careers you will be prepared for:

• Financial Analyst

• Investment / Client Analyst or Associate

• Asset Management

• Operations Analyst

• Associate Data Analyst

• Data Governance Associate

• Virtual Engagement Associate

• Data Strategy and Analytics Associate

Preparing for an AI-forward labor market

Artificial intelligence is indeed transforming how professionals work across industries, but it has also shaped the way professionals identify, research and land jobs. Throughout the fellowship, fellows will learn how to use generative AI and AI-enabled tools to support their job search, and learn the best practices for responsibly deploying AI for professional tasks such as analyzing information, summarizing insights, and preparing reports.

• Using AI tools to research industries, companies, and career paths

• Applying generative AI to support analysis, idea generation, and problem solving

• Drafting and refining professional communication such as reports and presentations

• Identifying responsible and ethical methods to using AI tools in the workplace

• Special topics in AI and emerging technology in the financial services industry

Core program components (200 hours)

Financial services alumni testimonial