Fortis apprenticeship scheme shortlisted for an industry accolade
Fortis Insurance Limited is celebrating the success of its first ever apprenticeship scheme, with twenty one graduates completing the City & Guilds Level 2 programme. The new scheme has also been shortlisted in the ‘Training Programme of the Year' category at the Insurance Times Awards, with the winners to be announced at the prestigious event to be held in December.
Apprentices were required to complete a framework comprising of three key elements: NVQ in retail financial services, IF1 (certificate in insurance, legal and regulatory principles) and key skills in communication and application of number. The scheme, which commenced in August 2008 took place over nine months, during which time trainees were required to provide a portfolio of evidence and be observed by the course assessor to demonstrate their competence in their job role. They were also required to produce a report and presentation on fraud within the insurance industry, to demonstrate their ability in communication and the application of number, and to work independently from the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII) course book to pass an online exam. Study alone to pass the CII module required an additional 30-50 hours of study outside their usual working hours.
The graduates were presented with their certificates in a special recognition ceremony by Claims Director, Rob Smale, and have all received a £100 reward from Fortis in acknowledgement of their achievements.
Lyn Nicholls, HR Director, commented; "I am delighted with the success of this first apprenticeship programme as well as the positive feedback we have received from the participants. We recognise the value of our employees in building our business and delivering exceptional service to our customers, and as a result are keen to develop their expertise, which benefits both the company and the individual. At a time when unemployment is a significantly increased concern, Fortis continues to support its staff 2 and the local communities in which we operate. As the business grows further, supported by recent new deals, we will continue to strengthen the team in Eastleigh, recruiting for new roles and investing in personal development."
Reflecting on the programme, Apprentice Lauren Pearson (Administration Assistant) said, "The Fortis apprentice programme has been a brilliant opportunity for me to develop myself and the skills I have obtained have provided a foundation on which to further my career. I have already seen the results as I have recently been promoted to a Management Information Analyst, which I am looking forward to starting at the end of the month."
Following their initial success, fifteen of the graduates have now progressed to the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Retail Financial Services and the scheme continues to be offered to both existing and new employees at Levels 2 and 3.
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For further information, contact:
Louisa Barnard T: 023 8031 3147 E:
Natalie Shale Tel: 023 8035 2754 E-mail:
Fortis: Fortis (Insurance UK) is a leading provider of personal and commercial lines insurance solutions in the UK. Fortis UK has two main divisions, manufacturing both non-life and life products, which are distributed through a range of channels including brokers, IFAs, intermediaries, affinity partners and the Internet, as well as various wholly or partially-owned companies (RIAS, Fortis Insurance Solutions, Affinity Solutions Ltd, Text2Insure and InsureTECH Systems).
Fortis insures in excess of 6.9 million customers working with a range of partners. It employs almost 3,000 people with a head office based in Eastleigh and others in Belfast, Bournemouth, Gloucester, Reigate, Haywards Heath, London, Redditch, and Stoke-on-Trent.
Fortis Holding (Fortis SA/NV and Fortis N.V.) consists of (1) a 75% ownership of Fortis Insurance Belgium (2) Fortis Insurance International, (3) a 45% stake in Royal Park Investments - a structured credit portfolio entity - and (4) financial assets and liabilities of various financing vehicles. Fortis Insurance Belgium is overall market leader and a leading player in the Employee Benefits market. The international insurance activities (Fortis Insurance International) are located in the UK, where Fortis is the third largest player in the market for private car insurance, France, Hong Kong, Luxembourg (Non-Life), Germany, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and joint ventures in Luxembourg (Life), Portugal, with Millenniumbcp Fortis being a clear market leader, China, Malaysia, India and Thailand. Fortis currently employs over 10,000 people.