I found out about the apprenticeship through a government website. Even though I had already started at university, the experience wasn’t for me; so I left and set out to look for an alternative. I found the apprenticeship to be the career experience I was looking for, one that could advance my skills and qualifications.

I have learned about insurance through shadowing colleagues, various training courses and my certification exams. Additionally, having never worked in an office before, I learned day-to-day office skills such as how to use company systems and office communications. My responsibilities as an apprentice change frequently as I gain more experience and knowledge. I have progressed to where I am now involved in renewals, processing and servicing clients.

The highlights so far have been building relationships with my colleagues/underwriters and gaining knowledge that helped me pass my exams. I also enjoy seeing new apprentices coming into the programme and being able to answer their questions and help them feel comfortable.

In the future, I would like to gain more responsibility in my role and one day be able to move into a management position.

Having some previous work experience would be an advantage. I would also say to anyone exploring this route: Don’t rule out university too quickly and don’t rule out the apprenticeship too easily. Explore all your options and try to avoid tunnel vision.

I found the process to be quite smooth with very few surprises. The assessment centre had a relaxed atmosphere, and I was given very constructive feedback following my interview.

My first year as an apprentice has been all about developing a knowledge base for the work I do day-to-day. I’ve been given responsibility to complete regular tasks and take ownership for the quality of my work. As my apprenticeship progresses, I’ve been given the opportunity to help train new apprentices in some fundamentals of actuarial work, including the use of Excel, as well as provide peer support to three recent graduates. I’ve been able to help them learn how our team works and answer any questions they may have.

I’ve received great training provided by Willis Towers Watson that has helped me pass two professional exams that are essential to gaining an actuarial qualification.
I’ve also learned that teamwork is the most important part of working within an office — in order to deliver quality work for our clients and also enjoy ourselves in the process.

I have learnt that beyond being good at the technical math work, the most important part of my work is the relationships I have built up with my colleagues. By having a tight group of friends, both apprentices and other colleagues, I have been able to enjoy my apprenticeship fully, as well as being encouraged by others to strive in my role.

I’ve appreciated the opportunity to help train new apprentices and go to local careers fairs to promote the Willis Towers Watson apprenticeship programme. I’ve enjoyed meeting college students to discuss their career goals and the possibility of the apprenticeship as an alternative to university.

I felt very proud and extremely grateful to those who nominated me. It was actually quite a surprise because I did not know I had been nominated. I think it shows how committed Willis Towers Watson are to ensure their apprentices achieve greatness.

Two of the values that have impacted me most are Teamwork and Client focus. Willis Towers Watson have fostered an environment where both values constantly feed into each other. I have been part of many teams including a team of apprentices and graduates to complete a high profile project which involved many complicated calculations. Had our team not put in the extra work together we could not have met our deadline, it was a very satisfying and rewarding feeling to collectively complete a difficult task. In terms of client focus, I have been part of a team who have successfully completed projects that generate £100,000s in revenues, and in some cases been able to project manage a team to reach some of these goals.

I have been given the opportunity on multiple occasions to help set-up and host a team quiz for over 50 colleagues during lockdown. To enter these quizzes colleagues had to donate to our charity partner, the Alzheimer’s Society, and a local charity, Stripey Stork. Overall, we raised around £5,000!  I am very proud to have done this as naturally colleagues were having a tough time due to COVID-19 and by hosting these events I was hopefully able to make a big impact to team moral.

I think that the biggest challenge was that for the first year, the work we were doing was the same difficulty of work as graduates coming out of university. The structure of the apprenticeship programme and our manager were clear in that we were not expected to be at the same level as the graduates, but gave us room to grow and perform at a level above what was expected. This freedom to excel was a perfect environment for myself and I feel that the apprenticeship fostered my growth very well.

During my apprenticeship, I have been able to go to multiple client meetings and also be the lead on a wide variety of projects. I have been able to use my skills in maths within my career to achieve great results for our clients and for the organisation. By achieving this during my apprenticeship, Willis Towers Watson have recognised this and allowed me to start studying for the actuary exams, with the view to becoming a qualified actuary.

I would say that my apprenticeship has allowed me to make a significant impact within my department within a very short space of time. Following the completion of my apprenticeship, I have been promoted to an actuarial consultant. I am now one year ahead in my career than I would have been if I had entered as a graduate from university, with the bonus of 2 years extra experience. This shows that the apprenticeship, if the person has the right level of commitment, can open the same doors as going to university, and Willis Towers Watson are keen to remove whatever barriers may face apprentices in their career

I would suggest to anyone applying to an apprenticeship at Willis Towers Watson to be proactive; research the company, it will impress the evaluators and make you stand out.

As an apprentice in the H&B team, I learned how to quote and contract Individual Life and Travel Insurance and manage the relationship with clients. I also provided support to activities in the Life Insurance area.

As an intern, I am learning how to work with Hub Network Outbound Support & Administration with Latin American countries and local clients. In addition, I’m also learning about internal global communications and the renewal of assistance of customer service provision, amongst other responsibilities.

Winning the tickets to the BRAZIL x BARBARIANS Rugby game! I am an avid rugby fan and I enjoy playing. Due to my academic and professional responsibilities I haven’t been able to find the time to play anymore. So being able to attend to a game with some colleagues was an amazing experience.

The caring treatment towards colleagues, recognizing and reminding us that we are not just numbers but people who are valued greatly.

I am still in the early careers program, but I feel more confident each day working on global programs’ processes. The range for technical and professional growth is large, which have been my goals since I joined Willis Towers Watson.

Being an apprentice helped me understand and keep track of insurance contracting processes, build relationships with clients and foster the relation with my colleagues, all of which served as a basis for most of my current responsibilities.

Willis Towers Watson is filled with expert professionals who are always ready to help other colleagues, like me, grow. I would like to thank my mentors: Adilson Dos Santos and Heney Fernandez as well as Paula Campos and Bruno Torres who discovered me and brought me to the P&C team. Also, I’m grateful for my H&B colleagues, Andrea Zaboni, Silvania Cardoso and Pedro Prata, who always supported me.

Lastly, I would like to thank Eduardo Escudeiro and Andressa Stail for the trust and willingness to guide and support me throughout the different stages of the programs.

Be prepared to join Willis Towers Watson with confidence and willingness to learn and execute. Your good work will be recognized!