A new online digital challenges platform aims to boost diversity in the British insurance sector by helping young people access career opportunities and improve their overall chances of employment.

Created by Brit Insurance and social enterprise GT Scholars, which runs free online career summits and digital challenges to introduce young people to new career opportunities, ‘GT Scholars x Brit Insurance digital challenges’ is an alternative to work experience.

The platform is accessible to young people across the UK. It aims to build their interest and knowledge of the insurance sector and improve their employability skills for any career they might pursue. Open to people aged 11-18, regardless of background, participants will learn the basics of insurance, risk, claims, and insurance business, including learning how to find solutions to insurance-related problems. They will also develop research, presentation, creativity and analytical skills.

A unique aspect of the platform is the chance for young people to experience “real-life scenarios” that will introduce them to new concepts and help improve their employment prospects.

Participants will receive a certificate of completion that can be added to their CV or personal statement. They will also have a chance to pitch a strategic business improvement idea to the CEO of partner Brit insurance.

Launching this month, winners will earn a share of £3000 and will be invited to Brit’s offices in London to participate in a career insight day with up to two family members.

News of the new platform follows research from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which found that the insurance industry lacks diversity despite most firms having diversity and inclusion initiatives. In fact, both women and ethnic minorities have a lower than average representation in the insurance industry relative to other sectors in the UK.

Aside from the lack of diversity in the UK insurance sector, a report by Education and Employers: Disconnected: Career aspirations and jobs in the UK shows that young people need more career support than ever and highlights the need for initiatives like ‘GT Scholars x Brit Insurance digital challenges.’

The report found that young people aren’t being educated about the careers in demand in today’s workforce. They also discovered a disconnect between what young people want from their careers and what opportunities exist. For example, five times as many young people want to work in art, culture, entertainment and sport as there are jobs available.

Temi Kamson, GT Scholars CEO, said: “The quality of careers advice and the availability, and awareness of work experience opportunities, varies across the country. This often depends on the school that you attend and your postcode. As a social mobility organisation, our goal is to ensure that young people across the UK have the opportunity to access careers support and discover new careers that they may have otherwise not considered.”

Wayne Page, Head of Head of Inclusion and Diversity at BRIT, added: “The figures and studies on diversity and inclusion in insurance indicate that we need to go beyond just internal initiatives and examine how we can improve the breadth of talent coming into our industry. We need to address how employees are brought into the insurance sector and how we can support young people and encourage them to consider a career in insurance while building their skills.”

More information about GT Scholars x BRIT Insurance Digital Challenges can be found here.

In this article, you learned that:

• ‘GT Scholars x BRIT Insurance digital challenges’ will help young people learn about the insurance sector through ‘real-life scenarios’ and build employment skills for any chosen career.
• Both women and ethnic minorities have a lower than average representation in the insurance industry relative to other sectors in the UK.
• A report by Education and Employers: Disconnected: Career aspirations and jobs in the UK found that five times as many young people want to work in art, culture, entertainment and sport as there are jobs available.