Blog: Why you should get involved with The Claims Apprentice in 2019

And for those beginning their careers in insurance, they have the greatest opportunity to shape the future of the sector, and keep it as relevant as possible.

Which brings me onto Post’s latest exciting venture, The Claims Apprentice.

Following the massive success of five seasons of the Broker Apprentice on sister title Insurance Age, we have teamed up with law firm Kennedys to launch a new video series showcasing some of the brightest minds in the UK claims sector, providing a great promotional tool in terms of demonstrating the talent the UK already has; but also to attract the best people in the future.

Not convinced? Here are four reasons why you [if legible] or your company should be supporting Claims Apprentice, based on my experience working on five seasons of Broker Apprentice.

Out of the Comfort zone  

I am not going to ruin the surprise by letting you know what tasks we have in mind for the Claims Apprentices in 2019, but the feedback we have had from those taking part in Broker Apprentice is that the experiences enabled them to test their nascent insurance knowledge in ways that really brought the best out of them.

Their managers have also remarked how their Broker Apprentices came back to their offices more confident, having done things that might not have been expected of them for years in the day job.

Don’t worry about the cameras… the candidates won’t

It is amazing how quickly the Broker Apprentices took to being on screen; indeed many have fared better than some senior managers I have worked with when it came to being filmed.

But then I suppose I grew up making short films on VHS with weighty camcorders and communicating by fax. The next generation of claims managers will have grown up with a multitude of audio visual social media platforms from You Tube to Instagram to whatever is coming round the track tomorrow.

The camera don’t phase them.

No place for sound bites

Let’s face it when it comes to BBC’s Apprentice, one of the key reasons people watch it is  British business magnate Alan Sugar’s patently scripted quips - and the ridiculous brags from contestants who we hope soon end up with egg on their faces.

But they have no place in the Claims Apprentice. We are hoping to build friendships and camaraderie among the candidates – a common theme of The Broker Apprentice – and not have them throw their colleagues under the bus at the first opportunity.

We want to make The Apprentice fun and entertaining to watch; but it is also underpinned by a serious thread, not least in that it is valuable in terms of the participant’s professional development.

You have the best staff? Prove it

During my time working on Broker Apprentice, one of the most common remarks I have heard was: “That winner was good, but we have better people in our office”. To which I would respond: “Well, you have to be in it, to win it.” So don’t just sit there and think what could have been, make sure you are involved from the start. We can only judge who we have in front of us.

Have I whetted your appetite? If you want more information then please check out the Claims Apprentice site and if you have any further questions do not hesitate to drop me a line at jonathan.swift@infopro-digital.com