Business Support Senior Assistant Review

My role varies, with responsibility for new business, client account management, special projects and overall support. I'm involved in a handful of different tasks which make my role enjoyable. I work in the trade credit team and have daily interactions with clients, colleagues and underwriters.

Yes, I have learned a handful of new skills, but majority of these skills are job specific skills, however I have become far more proficient with the microsoft tools such as Excel and Powerpoint. Existing skills such as time keeping, communication and presentation skills have definitely been enhanced.

The apprenticeship programme is overall good, and compares pretty well to other brokers/insurers in the industry. The CII qualification work can be a little long winded and sometimes the content is repetitive but I have no issues studying the content and am happy with the support and progress on the first 2 modules. The third module is rather independent and the growth company haven't had any involvement which makes getting started rather challenging. There's great flexibility for choosing when to study, however for those who are not great at motivating themselves to study and remain on top of study deadlines it can be a challenge.

The programme so far is structured well for the first two modules, with a lot of support from the Growth Company, however the third module is less structured and apprentices are sort of left to their own devices, which I think may be the reason apprentices begin to fall behind at this stage. It's worth noting that WTW's approach to the apprenticeships and not relying solely on the growth company to organise the structure and be responsible for the apprentices is good for the apprentices.

I think my employer offers an adequate level of support and that they are very allowing of the Growth company to be the point of contact for study related issues. WTW are supportive and clear about their support for other issues outside of the course contents.

Support on the first two modules was amazing, with workshops every few weeks keeping people on track, however come the third module the workshops have stopped and there is no interaction for the exam side of the studies - in this aspect this could be better and will help apprentices stay on track.

I think the qualification is great for the overall understanding of the insurance industry and is vital for those beginning their career in insurance as it allows for that fundamental understanding to be provided, however the qualification is rather generic and doesn't apply specifically to my role with financial solutions, and so may not have the clearest correlation on performance in my role.

There are lots of social events and gatherings whether industry wide or team/employer specific, including sports and physical activities on a regular basis.

Yes

I think WTW is very early career's friendly and have a great set-up for those entering the industry and looking to build a career. There is a strong understanding and appreciation of the lack of knowledge and the support throughout the ranks is very strong, hence contributing to a stronger, quicker and happier career.

When applying, remain calm in the hiring phases, it takes the recruitment team time to process all the applications and so patience is key. Outside of patience, prepare well and come with the knowledge of what line of business you'd like to work in and relate your experience/skills/qualifications to how you would be a strong fit for your role. Also place an emphasis on showing off your team work and collaboration skills as WTW is a people driven company with strong routes for working together.