Career development: Autonet's class of 2015 complete traineeship

All the Autonet trainees were in attendance, along with members of Autonet's learning and development and HR team, which has helped them achieve their newly employed status as apprentices, along with Matt Burke from Babington College.

The traineeship was launched in January and was the first of its kind for Autonet.

The programme ran for eighteen weeks and gave eleven trainees aged 16 to 24 the opportunity to prepare for their future careers within the insurance industry, providing them with the essential skills and training.

Alongside the workplace training provided by Autonet, Babington College provided key skills development and recognised Maths and English qualifications. Funded by the government through Babington College, the traineeship has been delivered by Autonet's Learning and Development team and was overseen by head of department, Karen Hancox-Barringer.

She said: "91% of the trainees have achieved employment following the traineeship, 82% of them with Autonet. We are extremely proud of this group of young people and their success to date. We are all excited to continue on this journey with them as they progress within the insurance industry."

The trainees, who are now employed by Autonet, will embark upon a 12 month apprenticeship scheme within their given roles. Some of the trainees will work in the audit department, some in sales and one will be in an administration-based role. They will be undertaking relevant NVQ's within the 12 months with a view to them working towards their financial services qualifications and their IF1 certificate in insurance.

Ian Donaldson, managing director at Autonet Insurance, said: "We are delighted with how successful the traineeship programme has been. Our partnership with Babington Business College enabled us to provide young people in the local area with a promising career in the insurance industry. Unlike other programs, our traineeship offered individuals the opportunity to progress onto the apprenticeship and gain a permanent role here at Autonet."