The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Insurance giant seeks 100 new apprentices for its city offices
Academy launch helps kickstart National Apprenticeship Week
A leading employer in Peterborough has unveiled plans to create 200 apprenticeships over the next year.
Insurance giant BGL Group, in Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, has launched its BGL Academy to provide specialised career development ranging from entry-level roles to post-graduate degree qualifications.
The academy will create more than 200 apprentice roles across its UK sites over the next year with 100 of those based in Peterborough where BGL already employs 1,800 staff.
Sarah Page, BGL’s senior HR business partner, said: “The academy opens up a different way of recruiting and attracting talent to the organisation.
“Apprenticeships allow people to have a job and train and it’s possible to study to degree level without incurring the debts associated with univerities.”
The BGL Academy will incorporate the company’s existing graduate programme and its programme for Alevel school leavers, and will offer mentors to help new apprentices through their early weeks.
Recruitment for the BGL Academy apprenticeship programme has begun, and opportunities will open up throughout 2018.
News of the creation of the BGL Academy comes at the start of the 11th National Apprenticeship Week during which companies will encourage more people to choose an apprenticeship as the starting point for a career.
BGL chief executive Matthew Donaldson said: “The launch of the BGL Academy is a great example of our commitment to people develop- ment and our aim of making BGL a great place to work.
“The Academy will play to the strength of our data, digital, brand and marketing capabilities and will allow us to share our expertise in these areas with talented people to develop the industry professionals of the future.”
The launch of the academy followed the release of a trading update from BGL showing the company had seen its revenues rise by 14 per cent during the six months to the end of last year.
BGL, which owns comparethemarket.com, says total customer numbers went up to 8.9 million.