A career breakers programme has successfully helped a candidate return to the insurance sector after more than two decades.
Last year, Health & Protection reported about a programme led by Inclusivity Partners which enables career break professionals to return to the insurance sector.
Opportunities on the programme’s second intake were open across all disciplines, including advice, underwriting, claims, actuarial, exposure management, risk and some corporate functions.
Providing an update on this second wave, Stephanie Dillon, CEO and founder at Inclusivity Partners, (pictured) told Health & Protection the programme placed nine starters last week.
While the programme has now managed to place a male candidate, highlighting the fact it is not restricted to women, Dillon revealed the firm had hit its record longest career break with the placement of an individual back into the sector after 20 years.
The candidate in question had previously worked as a reinsurance broker and is due to start a new role today as a claims solutions adviser.
Looking ahead, Dillon added that while the firm did not make changes for the second round of recruits, the next programme will be altered slightly.
“We are making changes to this year’s programme in that the start dates will be flexible so we can access more business as usual roles and thus we have ambitious targets to increase placements from 24 total last year to 35 to 40 this year.”
Initial programme participants included AIG Life, American International Group UK, Chaucer Group, Howden Group & Dual, Marsh, Phoenix Group and Willis Towers Watson.
Successful candidates benefitted from a six month paid placement in September of last year on six-month contracts, a training, onboarding and induction process and one-to-one specialist coaching.
But the programme proved so successful in helping 15 women return after career breaks that it returned to recruit a second intake with the aim of placing candidates starting this month.
New participants on this year’s programme included Lloyd’s of London, Axa Partners UK, Axa XL, Aon and Zurich.