CII backs Career Academies

The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is to support Career Academies UK - a national charity that works to raise the aspirations of 16 to 19-year olds, studying a Level 3 qualification.

The CII wants firms to develop relationships with schools and colleges and provide:

• Six-week paid summer placements
• Mentoring sessions
• Guest speaker slots in the classroom
• Site visits and trips

Career Academies UK is keen to get more support from the financial advice sector, as it has fewer employer relationships here than in other areas of financial services or business in general.

Promote insurance

Caspar Bartington, relationship manager (education) at the Chartered Insurance Institute, said, "We are well-placed as a professional membership body to promote this opportunity across the insurance sector.

“Many employers will find that there is a school or college near to them that they can get involved with and generally there is no cost to the employer to participate (the schools and colleges pay a fee to participate in the programme).

"Working with Career Academies UK will offer employers a tried and tested method of supporting learners, equipping them with the skills needed to be successful and offers employers an opportunity to unearth new talent, and develop their staff.

Talented young people

"Attracting talented young people into the financial advice sector is only part of the challenge facing the industry. We understand that employers have genuine concerns about their future workforce but the message from individuals coming into our market is that they want clearly defined career pathways that allow them to better map out their careers.

“If we are to develop into a profession on par with the likes of medicine and law we will need to do more to both attract and retain the best people."