The Big Question: What steps should UKGI take to inspire young people to embrace a career in insurance?

Eddie Longworth, director, JEL Consulting

Designing advanced artificial intelligence applications. Chasing fraudsters. Preventing buildings from burning down. International travel. Building your own business. Chief executive of a multi-billion pound enterprise. Working with the public – or not. Sales and marketing.

These are just a very small sample of the roles we want people to play in our beloved insurance industry. And until we begin to describe our sector in these terms, we have no hope of attracting new talent.

No one in their right mind wants to begin their career in a call centre or to see their future as a succession of tedious admin jobs. We must give a picture of a dynamic, exciting, varied, thrilling, challenging and amazingly rewarding career that can take somone almost anywhere in the world – if they are successful and if that is what they want.

I’m reminded of the Armed Forces recruitment campaigns that extol the virtues of being an engineer or intelligence analyst and making great friends with your workmates. Learning to ski, become a computer analyst, or tackle armed bandits through the use of psychology. The adverts never talk about the need and willingness to be able to kill people.

We don’t want people to join the insurance industry because there isn’t any such thing, if you think about it. Insurance is simply a collection of hundreds of different roles that can offer almost infinite opportunities that make up a rather boring series of products and services. If we want people to ‘choose’ the sector, we must think differently about who we are and what we offer.

In other words, we need to sell the sizzle, not the steak.

Rebecca Chappell, head of HR, Verlingue

To inspire young people to embrace a career in insurance, the UK general insurance (UKGI) sector should look to promote purpose and values, as well as embrace innovation, learning, sustainability and inclusion.

The fundamental purpose of insurance is to protect individuals at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives, as well as supporting businesses by managing uncertainty and providing financial security. By showcasing real examples of this, young talent will discover the positive social impact the sector makes on the community and economy.

UKGI should modernise the image of insurance, which has been traditionally viewed as a sector reliant on antiquated processes with little innovation. The reality is that many companies in the sector offer digital platforms and tailored propositions to improve the customer experience and are embracing AI for underwriting, claims processing and risk management. UKGI should highlight examples of how cutting-edge technology is being used.

To embrace a career in insurance, young people need to understand that an exciting and fulfilling career is accessible to them. Apprenticeship schemes, graduate programmes and work placements provide structured entry routes for new talent.

Additionally, UKGI could highlight young talent already thriving in the industry through the use of short-form videos on social media, podcast platforms, peer events and ambassador programmes.

Finally, young talent demands a work environment emphasising diversity, equity and inclusion. UKGI should highlight the positive work insurers do in this area, such as encouraging the sector to engage in achieving sustainable Ecovadis status.

Martyn Mathews, managing director, SSP Broker

The insurance industry needs to make a collective effort to meet with students as they start considering the decisions that will shape their careers. University is too late – many students will already be on a pathway at this stage.

Instead, we should be seeing more insurance providers and suppliers to the market visit schools to explain the overall ecosystem that supports insurance in the UK and across the world. We need to teach them that insurance is heavily reliant on data – insurance is big data personified.

Everyone needs motor insurance to drive, but how many teenagers have considered the level of protection required to travel to space in the future or even ‘drive’ a driverless car? Would an average high school student consider what happens behind the scenes to help combat fraud or how a premium is calculated?

Visiting schools, posing and answering these questions – as we do at SSP Broker through our SSP Careers Programme – leads to more awareness around insurance and its career potential.

Young people, however, will need to see their peers succeed to know they can ‘make it’.

Just last month, Zurich UK appointed its youngest regional head. It is truly encouraging to see such a major cog in the UKGI machine appoint a regional head below 30. This is a great example for students to understand what is possible.

Young people looking for footholds in their careers are hungry for an opportunity. We must embrace this enthusiasm by giving them early insight into different roles in insurance and trusting appropriate candidates to lead.

Victoria Sutton, business performance director, Howden

Recent research by ILC, Ucas and Consumer Intelligence, published in May 2025, revealed that the next generation views the insurance industry as unethical, boring and bureaucratic – placing it just 1% away from being the least desirable sector to work in. While this is shocking, it is not entirely surprising. Many in the sector likely saw it coming.

But why is this the perception? How can an industry that is among the most regulated be seen as unethical? How can it be boring when every day brings new challenges and opportunities to help people?

It comes down to perception. Children’s early influences, mainly parents and teachers, often speak about insurance only when frustrated – rising premiums and difficult claims. So why would young people see the sector positively?

Career aspirations begin as early as age six or seven. That is why the sector should unite to lobby for compulsory financial literacy in both primary and secondary education. At the primary level, it could be integrated into history – students already learn about the Great Fire of London, so why not also the birth of insurance? At the secondary level, the focus could shift to types of insurance, why it matters, how to make smart choices and the wide range of careers in the sector.

The government’s first concern will likely be funding. But many firms have unused apprenticeship levy funds – could larger companies pledge a portion to support such a programme? The industry also has excellent training materials that could help shape the curriculum.

Donna Scully, owner and director, Carpenters Group

This is a question that’s close to my heart. There is no silver bullet. Instead, there are a plethora of things that can be done to help. If we want young people to see insurance not just as a job, but as a career with purpose, we need to show them the real heart behind our work. It’s not just about policies and premiums – it’s about people and making a difference when it matters most. I think if young people knew the details of some of our serious and catastrophic injury cases and how vital our team are in ensuring justice for the families involved, they would be fascinated.

At the UKGI level, we should be shouting from the rooftops about the human stories behind insurance. Surely we can make better use of social media and influencers to tell these stories, too?

At Carpenters Group, we celebrate our stories, everything from empowering women in insurance to our Bikers for Bikers team, who bring real-world empathy to legal support. We’re not just talking about careers, we’re showing the values that underpin them – community, inclusion, and innovation. The next generation requires us to prove our ethics and will soon discover companies and sectors that don’t walk the talk.

There would also be value in the path to insurance being more visible and accessible. That means apprenticeships, mentoring and a good old-fashioned welcome. At Carpenters, we’re proud to offer opportunities for growth and development. Due to my unconventional path to success, I know too well that there is no right or wrong way to progress and that people need options that meet them where they are.

Ensuring flexible benefits, a commitment to learning and development and company cultures that nurture and develop are also key. So, too, are role models. Let’s raise people to show what can be achieved and ensure those role models are truly diverse.

My advice would always be to lead with heart. Partner with firms like ours to amplify the good work already happening. And most of all, speak the language of young people – not just in words, but in action. And listen – instead of second guessing what young people want and need, let’s ask them and take time to listen.

Then, we can make insurance not just a career choice but a calling.