We’re proud to announce that we have been declared ‘Best Training Company’ in the 2020 UK Broker Awards. After being nominated last year, it feels very satisfying to come back with an even stronger application and finally win. Our Head of Human Resource; Susie Wilson shares how a firm focus on training has had several significant benefits across the company, including this industry recognition.
Last year we were very pleased to be shortlisted in the Best Training category at the UK Broker Awards. Although we were disappointed on the day not to win, we picked ourselves up off the canvass and set about coming back stronger. When we wrote our entry for 2020 it was clear that in the last 12-24 months we had taken our training programmes and development strategy to the next level. The various development pathways we’d put in place were really bearing fruit, including:
Train Hard, Win Easy
- An Insurance Foundation Scheme where school leavers receive a 12-month introduction to all areas of the company with a view to employment in a department best suited to their skills whilst studying for the Cert CII FIT qualification
- Our Future Leaders foundation has seen several employees advancing into management positions.
- Commercial Gateway courses have enabled team members to progress into arranging more complex policy types by improving their technical knowledge.
We’ve found that by investing in their development we have earned greater loyalty and trust, leading to a valuable decrease in staff turnover. Runner up spot in a recent ‘Best Insurance Employer’ survey was also massive endorsement of our efforts. It showed that a relatively small family firm with around 100 employees can compete against huge companies with much deeper staff welfare budgets. We have also seen an increase in our customer feedback, with ratings going from Gold to Platinum – so it looks like everyone is happy!
I know we’re genuine when we say that we want to help our younger team members establish careers. And we’ve attempted to create a perfect environment for individuals who wish to thrive in the insurance sector. So when we sat down to watch the awards ceremony this year (unfortunately remotely due to Covid), we were hopeful that we would win but with that familiar feeling of nervousness at the back of our minds.
We were ecstatic when we were announced as ‘Best Training Company’ in the 2020 UK Broker Awards. It’s great recognition for the training team’s hard work and a thank you to all of our employees who have put their efforts into their own career development over the last few years.
If you are visiting this blog because you’re interested in joining The Plan Group and starting your career in insurance, please visit our careers page for more information.