Zurich UK has expanded its Masters program to provide more opportunities for recent graduates, the insurer explained in a statement.
According to a statement released today (September 4, 2023), the expansion will include the introduction of “green graduate” positions in the renewable energy sector – representing a total of 33 graduate places this year.
The insurer explained that “successful candidates for the Sustainable Energy Assurance Graduate Program will play an important role in supporting global energy customers in their sustainable energy transition plans.”
Zurich said graduates will develop their expertise in several areas, from understanding, assessing and mitigating risk to claims, pricing and insurance frameworks – all with a focus on sustainable energy.
Michelle Ransom, Talent Acquisition Manager at Zurich, said: “This year we are increasing our graduate intake with an additional two available positions, enabling us to nurture the next generation of talent in our business.
“We are really leading the way in Zurich when it comes to graduates – a number of our UK executive committee have started on the scheme, including our UK CEO Tim Bailey.”
Internships
Meanwhile, the insurer is looking to increase the volume of internship opportunities available in 2024 by hiring an additional 26 people.
Zurick UK explained that approximately 82% of last year’s trainees received extended job offers to join the insurer’s graduate program after successfully completing the 10-week internship.
This contributed significantly to Zurich’s goal of attracting and retaining young talent at the early stages of their careers, the insurer said.
Both apprenticeship and graduate schemes are offered in seven areas – business management, data and analytics, change and technology, engineering, sustainable energy, actuarial and finance.
Both graduate and trainee positions will be available at each of Zurich’s UK locations, including London, Fareham, Glasgow, Birmingham, Swindon and Cardiff.
Recruitment
To ensure a “level playing field,” the insurer has “eliminated” group interviews for neurologically diverse applicants.
Zurich UK said this approach would “provide each candidate who is assessed, successful or not, with individual feedback to support their recruitment journey”.
Applicants applying as graduates will not be required to disclose the university they attended during the application process and the use of CVs will not be part of the selection process.
Aviva UK General Insurance’s Managing Director of Personal Lines, Owen Morris, recently explained to Insurance times that providing more information about interviews ahead of time, such as the questions that will be included, the interviewers, and the environment, would benefit not only people with neurological diversity, but everyone.
Zurich added that its approach will allow hiring managers to focus solely on identifying the best talent in the graduate applicant pool.
The insurer also noted that competency-based interviews have been replaced with strength-based assessments to ensure applicants from diverse backgrounds are not disadvantaged.
Ransome added: “We’ve made a lot of adjustments to our recruitment process in recent years, which is paying dividends when it comes to attracting a much more diverse pool of candidates.
“In fact, last year 40% of our graduate hires, including trainee conversions, were from ethnic minorities. We also see a significant shift in applications from those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.”
Applications for the Zurich schemes will be open from 11 September for both graduate and traineeships. The application deadline has been extended to November 5 to allow more time to apply.