Marsh Commercial Perth has been awarded the Young Person's Guarantee1 — fantastic recognition of the team's work supporting young people in Perth and Kinross.
Launched in 2020, the initiative brings together employers, partners and young people aged 16 to 24 to create opportunities for employment, apprenticeships, further or higher education, training or volunteering.
Members of the team here at Marsh Commercial have worked with young people from schools and local organisations, including Perth Autism Support (PAS)2 and the Career Ready Programme.3 Participants have gained valuable insight and experience to prepare them for the world of work, exploring employability skills and working in the insurance industry.
Speaking about the success of the programme, Morven Withers, Service Quality Manager Advisory South Scotland said: "As a member of our local Developing Young Workforce Board,4 I'm delighted Marsh Commercial has supported my colleagues and me to be a part of this fantastic initiative."
"The lasting impact this programme has had on the young people who have taken part has been incredible. One young person from PAS grew in confidence so much he was able to secure his first employed job, while a school leaver joined our apprenticeship scheme."
As well as delivering sessions in schools that explore insurance as a sector and the career paths available, the team has run mock interviews, providing constructive feedback on positive aspects and areas to improve.
Three team members have volunteered their time to mentor young people through the Career Ready Programme. This is now a Marsh initiative that provides young people with mentors and a four-week paid internship.
A spokesperson from Developing the Young Workforce, said: "A huge thanks to Morven, Mel and the wider team for their dedication to our partners at PAS (Perth Autism Support) for allowing one of their young people the opportunity to gain valuable work experience with Marsh Commercial, which not only gave him an insight into the world of work but also contributed to a vast improvement in his self-confidence."
Morven added: "Recruiting strong talent into our industry is a real challenge at the moment. Growing our workforce from a local, grassroots level and developing our staff is one way of overcoming this challenge while raising the profile of Insurance in our local young people's minds and the career opportunities this industry presents".
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